I will live and not die, and I will tell what the Lord has done.

As the psalmist testifies, the Lord disciplines His people in dramatic ways sometimes. His goal is always to drive us to depend on Him for everything.

Perhaps you’ve had a sickness that took a turn for the worse, and by all accounts, the end was near. Or has a natural disaster broken out of control threatening your life and property? It could have been an accident that was more serious than you first thought, and injuries became life-threatening. Perhaps you’ve experienced grief over a loss that put you in a deep depression. Or, have you, like our psalmist, been in a battle against real enemies that had risen up to jeopardize your life?

Whatever it was that had you on the brink between life and death, you probably felt helpless and desperate.

But then, after a time, something wonderful happened. An assurance rose up in your soul. A bit of hope, perhaps, began to lift your spirit. The LORD was at work within you stirring something. He reminded you of Psalm 118:17 and, like the psalmist, you proclaimed in faith, “I will live and not die.” There may have been no visible reason for your hope, but you grasped hold of it anyway and would not let go. You remembered the strength of the Lord, and you confessed it.

And then you began to back away from the brink. Perhaps the doctors found the procedure that saved your life, or the rescue team fought through the disaster and lifted you to safety. Did a friend pull you from the drowning depression; or did the reinforcements storm over the hill and your enemies beat a hasty retreat?

The psalmist speaks truth: You will live and not die. What you had confessed in faith became reality. What some thought was mere optimism became the key to your victory. It was the LORD . It wasn’t you. It was the LORD all along who inspired your faith and supported you to the end. He is the one that deserves all the praise and glory.

And gladly, happily, you will tell everyone what the Lord has done.

By Grace Barnes, Bible League International volunteer, Michigan, U.S.