Psalm 116:1–9, 15 — Precious in the Sight of the Lord

Why families choose it

A first-person psalm, which changes what a funeral reading does: for a few minutes the congregation hears a voice from inside the trouble — 'the sorrows of death compassed me' — saying that it called and was heard. After long illness, 'I was brought low, and he helped me' can carry a family's whole story. And the last verse, kept for the end, makes the boldest claim in the service: this death did not go unregarded; it was precious in the sight of the LORD.

Reading it aloud

Speak it as testimony, not performance — the 'I' belongs to the one who died, and the reader is lending them a voice. 'Return unto thy rest, O my soul' should be the gentlest line in the service. Then stop properly before the final verse: it comes from later in the psalm, and the silence before it tells the congregation that the summing-up has arrived.

In the programme, list it in the order of service as “Scripture Reading — Psalm 116:1–9, 15” with the reader’s name beside it. The full text is public domain and may be printed on the life-story or back page.