Psalm 116:2 Because he hath inclined his ear unto me,therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.
Psalm 116:9 I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
Nathanael Hardy wrote:If you cast your eyes on Psalm 116:1, you find a profession of love –“I love the Lord”;if on the second,a promise of prayer –“I will call on the Lord”;if on the ninth,a resolve of walking –“I will walk before the Lord.” There are three things should be the object of a saint’s care,the devotion of the soul,profession of the mouth,and conversation of the life:that is the sweetest melody in God’s ears,when not only the voice sings,but the heartstrings keep tune,and the hand keepeth time.
The believer in Jesus Christ should love God with all of his heart,mind and soul;and call upon the Lord in prayer;and obediently walk with God as He wants us to walk with Him. Micah 6:8 He hath showed thee,O man,what is good;and what doth the LORD require of thee,but to do justly,and to love mercy,and to walk humbly with thy God? The believer should be calling upon the Lord God daily,whether we are in trouble or we are happy;whether we are in the valley or we are on the mountain top. Now consider that the Lord Jesus Christ sang these two verses the night before His death on the cross. I love the LORD,because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. (2) Because he hath inclined his ear unto me,therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.
Charles Spurgeon wrote this about verse two:Throughout all the days of my life I will address my prayer to God alone,and to him I will unceasingly pray. It is always wise to go where we are welcome and are well treated. The word “call” may imply praise as well as prayer:calling upon the name of the Lord is an expressive name for adoration of all kinds. When prayer is heard in our feebleness,and answered in the strength and greatness of God,we are strengthened in the habit of prayer,and confirmed in the resolve to make ceaseless intercession.
Psalm 116:3 The sorrows of death compassed me,and the pains of hell got hold upon me:I found trouble and sorrow.
This verse looks ahead for Jesus Christ when He was going to be hanging from the Roman cross and He still sang these words before going to the Garden of Gethsemane. What a thought that is – to be singing of your upcoming death. On a human level we cannot fully comprehend doing that. He knew what he would have to endure on the cross after being beaten and mocked and Jesus Christ sang about it the night before the crucifixion. J. Vernon McGee wrote:Actually the sentence of death was upon us,but it became His sentence. He laid down His life for you and me.
Psalm 116:4 Then called I upon the name of the LORD;O LORD,I beseech thee,deliver my soul.
That is the cry of the believer before he or she is saved. They cry out to the Lord God and beg for salvation. Romans 10:8-13 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee,even in thy mouth,and in thy heart:that is,the word of faith,which we preach;(9) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead,thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (11) For the Scripture saith,Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (12) For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek:for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
The Lord God will incline His ear to those that sincerely call out to Him first for salvation,and then in prayer during the Christian walk.