Welcome to the Daily Blade. The Word of God is described as the sword of the spirit, the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil. Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson, and they stand ready to equip men for the fight. Let's sharpen up.

All right, good to have you guys back today. This week I dedicated

these episodes to the memory of my late Uncle Kevin. He passed away recently, but right before he did,

I was able to be with him at the hospital by his bed, where I read a couple of Psalms to him

and then told him what he meant to me. And for the last two days, we've dug into the first Psalm

that I read to him,

which is Psalm 23. I picked that Psalm because it seemed appropriate for someone that was in the

process of leaving this world. But after I finished reading Psalm 23 to him, I then read Psalm 116.

So I chose Psalm 116 because it seemed like the right Psalm to share after someone passes away.

And when I was reading this to him, it was clear to

just about everyone that it would not be long before that happened. I'll read the first nine verses of

Psalm 116 now and then we'll hit the rest of it tomorrow. So the exact author and date in the writing

for the Psalm isn't known, but the English standard version names this Psalm, I love the Lord. I love the Lord

because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy, because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will

call on him as long as I live. The snares of death encompass me, the pangs of shield laid hold on me,

I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on the name of the Lord. Oh, Lord, I pray, deliver my

soul. Gracious is the Lord and righteous. Our God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple. When I was

brought low, he saved me. Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

For you have delivered my soul from death, from my eyes from tears,

my feet from stumbling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. Now, from the very first

words of this Psalm, we can tell that this is a Psalm of Thanksgiving. Again, verse 1, I love the Lord.

And then we see the author elucidate the reason why he loves the Lord and what the Lord does for him.

...