Besides reading through the Bible every year, I read through the Psalms and Proverbs every month in a different translation each month. I was reading Psalm 138 this morning and it spoke to me in an unusual way and I was prompted to share it in the blog today. (Scripture quotes are from the ESV.)
"I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. On Thee I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased."
In the first three verses of this Psalm, David again talks about the whole heart, everything we are giving praise and thanks to God with, the posture of worship being kneeling down or bowing down. Both important principles in our worship. He declares also the importance of the Lord's Name and the Lord's Word. In all of our worship, we must always emphasize the Name of the Lord and the Word of the Lord supreme. Then again we see prayer - calling out to the Lord, a part of worship seeing that God intervenes and strengthens us in Him.
"All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth, and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord. For though the Lord is high He regards the lowly, but the haughty He knows from afar."
David says in vv. 4-6 that when the kings of the earth hear what God has to say, they will say, "thank you." They will sing about what He has done. Our singing is always a testimony of what God has done and is doing. And we see in this part of the passage that the "glory of God" is shown to be great in our singing. Why? - because even though God is high above, He sees far below and knows everything about us. Praise be to Him!
"Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life: you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands."
We see in the last verses of this Psalm that even when we walk into the thick of trouble, that He is with us in the turmoil. And basically, David says, "Lord, please finish what you started in me; your faithfulness and your love are eternal - please don't quit on me now." These words should be our prayer also. mjm
