This psalm is a simple prayer of thanks to God after escaping death caused by sickness, accident, or malice. It became part of the Hallel, or ‘Hymn of Praise’ (Ps 113-118), which is sung at the Paschal supper. Our Lord, therefore, faced death with these words on his lips: ‘After singing psalms of praise, they went out to the Mount of Olives’ (Mt 26:30). However, from him, the words take on new life. Unlike the psalmist, he does not ask to escape the threat of bodily death; instead, he defies and defeats it: ‘The power of death could not hold him’ (Acts 2:24). The prayer of his human soul is for the glory of his risen body. With the psalmist, we may recite this prayer after sickness, but with our Lord, we can gratefully use it on our deathbed, for ‘He who raised Jesus Christ from among the dead, will also give life to your mortal bodies’ (Rom 8:11).
We can pray with this psalm when we have overcome mortal dangers or resolved personal conflicts. It is good for everything to stay within the sphere of God’s love, in whom we believe.