The danger of death was all around me; the horrors of the grave closed in on me; I was filled with fear and anxiety.
Then I called to the Lord, "I beg you, Lord, save me!" . . .
The Lord saved me from death; he stopped my tears and kept me from defeat.
And so I walk in the presence of the Lord in the world of the living. . . .
What can I offer the Lord for all his goodness to me?
I will bring a wine offering to the Lord , to thank him for saving me. [I will lift up the cup of salvation]
Psalm 116:3-4, 8-9, 12-13
"When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." (Matthew 26:30)
The "hymn" that Jesus sang with his disciples on that night was part of the Passover remembrance. It was from the second part of the "hallel" (Psalm 113-118), and it included these verses from (Psalm 116).
I am always moved when I think about Jesus saying these words. He had a lot on his heart. One disciple was out betraying him, another was going to deny him, and the rest would run away when he most needed them. And on top of it all, he knew he was going to be subjected to torture and death. But worst of all, he would soon be carrying on his sinless shoulders my sin and the sin of all the world.
It is no wonder that John tells us Jesus was "greatly troubled." Did his voice choke as, together with his unsuspecting followers, he tried to sing these words that predicted his death?
In a very short time he would be in the Garden of Gethsemane praying that God might take the cup from him. But it was a "cup of salvation," and Jesus was ready to drink it to the bottom so that we too might walk in the land of the living.
- 3 APRIL -