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"The LORD will perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands."
(Psalm 138:8)
In today's devotion, we will reflect upon a wonderful biblical text, Psalm 138, that has given me much encouragement. In fact, last Sunday, I preached on this text.
1 I will praise You with my whole heart;
Before the gods I will sing praises to You.
2 I will worship toward Your holy temple,
And praise Your name
For Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.
3 In the day when I cried out, You answered me,
And made me bold with strength in my soul.
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O LORD,
When they hear the words of Your mouth.
5 Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the LORD,
For great is the glory of the LORD.
6 Though the LORD is on high,
Yet He regards the lowly;
But the proud He knows from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;
You will stretch out Your hand
Against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me.
8 The LORD will perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
David begins this psalm with praise to the LORD. In verse 2, he specifically praises God for His name, nature, and His word. God's nature is love and truth. We see this couplet often in the Bible; for example, John 1:14 says Jesus was full of grace and truth.
Verse 3 tells us that God answers our prayers. He hears us when we cry out to him, and He gives us boldness. Israel was surrounded by pagan gods, and so are we today. While in Asia a couple months ago, we visited two countries. In the first country, most of the people are Buddhists, and located throughout the country are large statues of Buddha that people worship. In the next country, the vast majority of the people are Hindus, and they worship millions of various gods and goddesses. It is heartbreaking, because as Psalm 135:15-18 teaches us, all the idols of the world are merely gold and silver, and they have no life or power whatsoever. There are multiple gods, idols, and other objects of worship in the city where I live. The gods of pleasure, sex, and materialism are worshiped with passion. How should we respond? We must do as David did and be bold and honor God with our lives and lips.
Verse 6 says the LORD knows the proud from afar. That really grabbed my attention. God is attracted to humility, meekness, and weakness. Arrogance and pride are not allowed in His presence. You do not want God to be far from you; rather, You want Him very close. The presence of God in your life is more precious and valuable than anything.
Verse 7 reminds us that God will come through, He will revive, and He will save. Praise the LORD! And verse 8 is so good! The LORD will perfect or complete whatever concerns you. Doesn't that give your heart reason for hope and joy? This verse reminds me of Philippians 1:6: "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." David mentions again the mercy of God. He had known colossal moral failure, repented, was restored to God, and could sing and shout about the mercy of God extended to his life. He closes with the prayer for God to not forsake the works of His hands.
Praise the LORD for His goodness to His people!
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