A God Who Saves

 

^{Psalm 138}

¹   I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart;
          before the gods I sing your praise;
²   I bow down toward your holy temple
          and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness;
          for you have exalted your name and your word
          above everything.
³   On the day I called, you answered me,
          you increased my strength of soul.

⁴   All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O LORD,
          for they have heard the words of your mouth.
⁵   They shall sing of the ways of the LORD,
          for great is the glory of the LORD.
⁶   For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly;
          but the haughty he perceives from far away.

⁷   Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
          you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
     you stretch out your hand,
          and your right hand delivers me.
⁸   The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
          your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.
          Do not forsake the work of your hands.

 

Devotion

 Today's psalm overflows with joy as the author proclaims the wonders of God's steadfast love.  God, we are told, lifts up and protects the psalmist when they are in trouble.  God saves them from their enemies, delivers them from harm, and fullfills God's good purposes for them.  Surely all this is reason enough to rejoice int he Lord.

Just how, though, does the psalmist personally know that God has done all these amazing things.  The text does give us the full backstory, but verse 3 gives us an important clue.  The psalmist says, "On the day I called, you answered me  you increased my strength of soul."  

Given the types of help the psalm describes God providing, it stands to reason that psalmist didn't call upon God because things had been going well.  No, they must have gone through a time of danger or distress.  It was then--when the psalmist was desperate for help--that God answered their prayers and gave them strength to keep going.  The joy they feel now is possible, because God came to to their aid during a time of terrible pain.

Going through times of distress can help us come to appreciate God in new ways.  God's faithful presence when life has been at its worst has taught me just how great God is and just how much I need the Lord in my life.  Once those lessons have been learned, they are not easily forgotten.  The more I reflect upon all the ways God has saved and strengthened me in times of trouble, the more I feel compelled to sing of God's glory. 

2020 has not been kind to people.  Given the vast amount of suffering occurring, it is only natural for us to call upon the Lord to save us.  It may be hard to see sometimes when we are in the midst of our distress, but our faithful God is here to strengthen and protect us.  Later, after the dust has settled and we have made it through to other side, we will find ourselves praising God for delivering us from this time of trial.   Like the psalmist, we will exalt God's name above everything else and bow down before the Lord.  The joy we feel on that future day will far outweigh the sorrow of our present situation.

 

 

Prayer 

God, you are greater and more faithful than we can possibly imagine. Help us appreciate all that you are doing for this during this time of distress so that we may be truly thankful.   We await the day when we look back on this time of distress and praise you for saving us..  Amen.