Monday
Psalm 138 1 “I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; before the ‘gods’ I will give you praise.”
It’s a mistake to assume that as a modern sophisticated and mostly secular society we have grown out of belief in many ‘gods’ who influence our lives. Money and image, security and power, online persona and the accumulation of things – whatever takes our best energies, becomes our first priority, takes up most of our attention and which we will shape our lives around, is in danger of becoming a god. The Psalm poet has two safeguards. To our true God, ‘with all my heart’, and to give God praise. No idol can survive constant faithful love and praise directed to another.
Tuesday
Palm 138. “I will bow down towards your holy temple, and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.”
One good reason for having a ‘devotional time’ to reset our priorities, a regular reminder of who we bow down towards. To praise God’s name for His love and faithfulness is to restate our heart’s allegiance, and to reinforce our own love and faithfulness to the God who goes on loving us faithfully! Praising God becomes, then, a habit of the heart, the inclination of mind and spirit towards God, each day. God’s name is the highest name, God’s Word is the final word. The faithfulness of God has a lifetime guarantee, because God’s promises are true and to be trusted.
Wednesday
Psalm 138.3 “When I called you answered me, and made me bold and strong.”
Those times we prayed, and our heart was lifted, the day seemed more manageable, we could think more clearly about the way ahead. Whatever else changed, deep inside the sun rose, and confusion cleared, or anxiety lifted, or guilt gave way to repentance, or anger was replaced by forgiveness, or we overcame inner paralysis about a difficult decision waiting to be made. It’s called the reflexive blessing of prayer; our soul is lifted, our perspective changed and confidence in God is restored.
Thursday
Psalm 138.4 “May all the kings of the earth praise you, O Lord, when they hear the words of your mouth.”
When the world is a mess, and the powerful act without sufficient restraint, and life becomes much less secure, it’s hard to know what to pray for and what to pray against. Whatever our politics, there is considerable wisdom in using this prayer of the Psalm poet. That the powerful will hear and heed the words of the all-powerful God revealed in Christ; that the great principles of truth, trust, compassion, mercy and justice will regain their purchase in the policy decisions of the powerful. Prayer is not a cop out from the mess of the world – it is an opt in, an intentional aligning of Christian faith, love and hope, in resisting all that makes for fear, hate and despair.
Friday
Palm 138.5 “May they sing of the ways of the Lord, for the glory of the Lord is great.”
To sing of the ways of the Lord is to praise, give thanks, and confess the goodness of God’s ways. God’s ways are shown and seen to be holy as He is holy, righteous and just, compassionate and dependably faithful. May the powerful of the earth praise and take guidance from the ways of the Lord, and bow in recognition of a glory far greater than their own. This too can become a positive prayer for our times, with urgent constancy, and open-eyed realism about the consequences of power without such constraint. Or as Paul put it, “At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow.”
Saturday
Psalm 138.6-7 “Though the Lord is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me.”
Some Twentieth Century theologians defined sin as pride, when arrogance is so sure of itself it has no need of God, so doesn’t give God a minute’s thought. But God looks upon the lowly and therefore the powerless. Living as we do in difficult times, perhaps we should learn from the Psalm poet’s way of looking at the world when he “walks in the midst of trouble”. God’s hand holds back whatever threatens, and the right hand saves and preserves. The Psalm poet has learned for himself, and teaches us, that God is present in whatever we are facing, and saves us using both hands! In the midst of trouble, God is at and on our side. Or as Paul argued, “If God is for us, who can be against us…we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
Sunday
Psalm 138.8 “The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures for ever – do not abandon the work of your hands.”
The logic is unbreakable. God’s love endures forever, so his loving purpose will come to fulfilment. That last clause is as human as any line of any prayer. Having just stated his complete confidence in the enduring love and purpose of God – he blurts out his residual anxiety! But even that is encompassed in God’s purpose. “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
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