Psalm 138: Lessons for Developing a Heart of Lasting Gratitude
Introduction: Although post-exile psalmists drafted many of the final psalms, David drafted Psalms 138. This is David’s great psalm of gratitude. But it likely is placed after Psalm 137’s prophecy of judgment upon Babylon, because David writes prophetically of a future time when the temple exists (Ps. 138:2) and when all the remaining kings of the world bow before God and worship Him (Ps. 138:4-6). If Psalm 137 prophetically revealed the destruction of the future Babylon in the end times (Rev. 18:1-24), Psalm 138 likely celebrates when the Messiah will rule over the Earth during the Millennial Reign (Rev. 20:1-6). Thus, this is most likely both a psalm of gratitude and a prophecy. For individual believers and the collective Church that will suffer great persecution, David reveals seven lessons for developing a heart of gratitude for God that will endure. These include: (1) a love for God, (2) heart-felt appreciation, (3) dependent prayers, (4) a submissive heart, (5) humility, (6) faith, and (7) joy at the will of God being fulfilled.
First, David declared that he would thank God with all his heart. If you love God with all your heart, your gratitude is more likely to endure through your trials. Second, David also thanked God for His “Ḥesed”, a word that represents His eternal love, mercy, grace, faithfulness, and truth. Lasting gratitude should also be based upon a full appreciation for both who God is and what He does for you because of His perfect character. Third, David thanked God for answering his prayers by giving him the strength to get through his trials. Lasting gratitude should also be based upon a relationship with God where you turn to Him through prayer, regardless of the outcome. If God does not change your circumstances in response to your prayers, give thanks that He can give you the strength to get through your trials. Fourth, David also gave a prophetic thanks that all the nations that are now opposed to God will one day submit to Him. Developing a heart of lasting gratitude requires the humility to put God’s will before your own. Fifth, based upon his own failures, David was grateful that God elevated him and blessed him with His undeserving grace. Developing lasting gratitude requires humility. If you feel entitled to a particular outcome, your gratitude will fade during a trial. Sixth, out of gratitude and before his trials had ended, David gave thanks that God would save him and revive him. Developing lasting gratitude requires faith in God’s perfect outcome. Finally, David gave thanks that nothing could prevent God’s will for David from being fulfilled. David gave thanks for God’s perfect will, not for his own desires. Lasting gratitude should celebrate God’s will, not yours.
1. Love: Love Will Help to Ensure a Lasting Heart-Felt Gratitude. Ps. 138:1.
David’s gratitude was based upon his deep love for God. David knew that half-hearted gratitude was worthless. Thus, he thanked God with his whole heart. “A Psalm of David. 1 I will give You thanks with all my heart; I will sing Your praises before the gods.” (Ps. 138:1). “When we can praise God with our whole heart, we need not be unwilling for the whole world to witness our gratitude and joy in him.” (Matthew Henry on Ps. 138:1).1
Your gratitude should flow from your love for God. David and other psalmists frequently declared their heart-felt love and gratitude for God: “A Psalm of David. I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders.” (Ps. 9:1). “I will give thanks to You, Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forever.” (Ps. 86:12). “Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart, in the company of the upright and in the assembly.” (Ps. 111:1).
Loving God is the greatest Commandment. When asked to identify the greatest of the Ten Commandments, Jesus stated that it was to love God with all your heart: “And He said to him, ‘you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”’ (Matt. 22:37; Mk. 12:30; Lk. 10:27). “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Dt. 6:5). “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,” (Dt. 10:12). When you love God with all your heart and soul, your gratitude is more likely to endure through your trials.
Let your gratitude be an expression of your sincere love for Jesus2
When you search God out with a loving heart, you will find Him. When your gratitude for God is based upon your love for Him, you will find His presence: “But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.” (Dt. 4:29). “And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jer. 29:13). “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matt. 7:7). If you cannot feel God’s presence during a trial, examine your heart and make Him your primary focus.
Love will also help to ensure your perseverance during a trial. If you are not motivated by love, your perseverance may falter during a trial: “Blessed are those who comply with His testimonies, and seek Him with all their heart . . .Give me understanding, so that I may comply with Your Law and keep it with all my heart.” (Ps. 119:2, 34). “And it shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul,” (Dt. 11:13). “This day the LORD your God commands you to perform these statutes and ordinances. Therefore you shall be careful to perform them with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Dt. 26:16). “[I]f you obey the LORD your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul.” (Dt. 30:10). If you want to avoid backsliding during a trial, let a sincere love for God motivate all your actions.
Let your love and gratitude for God be a witness to others. Psalm 138:1 includes David’s promise to praise God “before the gods.” (Ps. 138:1). “Some suppose the expression, ‘before the gods,’ to mean ‘before the great ones of the earth,’ and quote Psalm 119:46 as parallel. Others think that the imaginary vain gods of the heathen are intended. Psalm 138:1” (Pulpit Commentary on Ps. 138:1).3 Whoever David had in mind, his love could not be contained. He had to share his love for God with anyone who would listen to him. If Psalm 138 connects to the end times, it contains a call to evangelize non-believers (Matt. 28:16-20; Mk. 16:15-18; Lk. 24:44-49; Jo. 20:19-23; Acts 1:8). Believers are the light of the world (Matt. 5:14-16). Your gratitude can show your light to the lost.
Love also helps you to be thankful during a trial. Regardless of your situation, the Apostle Paul encourages you to always thank God: “always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father;” (Eph. 5:20). “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:18). Even when you are experiencing hardships, show your love for God with sincere gratitude.
2. Heart-Felt Appreciation: Lasting Gratitude Requires a Heart-Felt Appreciation for Who God is and His Love and Mercy for You. Ps. 138:2.
Give thanks for God’s love and mercy in your life. David bowed down in gratitude for God’s “Ḥesed”, His mercy, love, and truth. “2 I will bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for Your mercy and Your truth; for You have made Your word great according to all Your name.” (Ps. 138:2). David celebrated God’s “Ḥesed” aka “Chesed” (חֶסֶד). In the NASB, this is translated as God’s “mercy.” In the KJB, and the NKJB, this word is translated as God’s “lovingkindness”. In the NIV, this is translated as God’s “unfailing love.” In “David’s praise was not empty adoration. It had reasons behind it, which were a basis for it. He thought of the great lovingkindness (hesed) of God toward him, and God’s firmly established truth. Meditation on those gifts from God gave David a basis for his spirit of praise. For You have magnified Your word above all Your name: Having mentioned God’s truth in the previous line, now David considered the main way God’s truth is communicated to us – through His word. God has such a high estimation of His word that He has magnified it above His very name, His character. This is a stunning and remarkable statement, showing the incredible regard God has for His own word. He holds His word in greater esteem than His very character or name.” (David Guzik on P. 138:2) (emphasis original).4
Give thanks for God’s covenant of mercy and love in your life. God’s covenant of love and mercy ensures that He will remain faithful to fulfill His promises to you. Thus, other psalmists encouraged the Jews to give thanks for God’s “Ḥesed”. “For the LORD is good; His mercy “Ḥesed” is everlasting and His faithfulness is to all generations.” (Ps. 100:5). “Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His mercy “Ḥesed” is everlasting.” (Ps. 106:1). “For His mercy “Ḥesed” toward us is great, and the truth of the Lord is everlasting. Praise the Lord!” (Ps. 117:2). God’s faithfulness gave the Jews hope. You can also find hope in Jesus’ faithfulness to keep His promises to you.
Out of love, Jesus died at the cross to bring mankind everlasting mercy. God is merciful in the face of our sins because He is filled with compassion and love: “For the LORD your God is a compassionate God; He will not abandon you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.” (Dt. 4:31). “Then you will say on that day, “I will give thanks to You, LORD; for although You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.” (Is. 12:1). “For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will gather you.” (Is. 54:7). “The Lord’s acts of mercy indeed do not end, for His compassions do not fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” (Lam. 3:22-23). Jesus died on the cross to bring us mercy by taking the penalty for our sins. “and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 Jo. 2:2). “You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.” (1 Jo. 3:5). Thus, Jesus deserves your thanksgiving for the terrible price He paid for you.
God’s glory should be honored and celebrated. Every good and perfect thing in your life is from God (Jam. 1:17). When you fail to give thanks to God for His gifts, you are giving yourself or someone else the glory that He alone deserves. “I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to idols.” (Is. 42:8). As our example, Jesus celebrated and honored God before others. “I have revealed Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have followed Your word.” (Jo. 17:6). God’s name is above every other name. “For this reason also God highly exalted Him,...” (Phil. 2:9-11). Thus, your gratitude should reflect a sincere appreciation for who God is and what He does for you.
Jesus’ is the eternal Word that became flesh. David celebrated both God’s “truth” and that He had “made Your word great according to all Your name.” (Ps. 138:2). God’s Word will last forever. “Forever, LORD, Your word stands in heaven.” (Ps. 119:89). “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Is. 40:8). “So will My word be which goes out of My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it.” (Is. 55:11). Jesus is the eternal Word who became flesh. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God … And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (Jo. 1:14). “For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,” (Phil. 2:9). “He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God.” (Rev. 19:13). Thus, Jesus deserves your heart-felt appreciation for His eternal love, mercy, and truth.
During the Millennial Reign, the nations will worship Jesus at His Temple. David referred to worship at God’s temple (Ps. 138:2). Solomon built the Temple after David’s death (1 Kgs. 8). Thus, Psalm 138 is a prophecy. This psalm later describes all the world’s nations worshiping God in the Temple, something has not yet happened (Ps. 138:4-5). During the Millennial Reign, the leaders of the entire world will gather together to worship Jesus on an ongoing basis. “Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of armies, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths.” (Zech. 14:16). ‘“And it shall be from new moon to new moon and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all mankind will come to bow down before Me,’ says the LORD.” (Is. 66:23). “The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.” (Rev. 21:24).
3. Dependent Prayers: Lasting Gratitude Requires That You Depend Upon Him Through Prayer To Get Through Your Trials. Ps. 138:3.
God answers your prayers when you pray in faith for His will to be done. David also praised God for answering his prayers by strengthening him during his trials: “3 On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul.” (Ps. 138:3). “The last clause limits and explains the former, how God answered him so speedily, not by giving him the thing which he desired in that very instant, but by giving him inward support and patience to wait God’s time, and to bear all his troubles cheerfully in the meantime, which was a singular mercy, and indeed greater than the actual donation of any temporal blessing.” (Matthew Poole’s Commentary on Ps. 138:3).5
Be grateful that God gives you the strength to endure your trials6
Thank God when He answers your prayers. David celebrated that “3 On the day I called, You answered me;” (Ps. 138:3a). David made a habit of thanking God when He answered David’s prayers: “I was crying out to the LORD with my voice, and He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah” (Ps. 3:4). “But know that the LORD has set apart the godly person for Himself; the LORD hears when I call to Him.” (Ps. 4:3). “Leave me, all you who practice injustice, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.” (Ps. 6:8). “In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God for help; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry for help before Him came into His ears.” (Ps. 18:6). “Blessed be the LORD, because He has heard the sound of my pleading.” (Ps. 28:6). Thus, David always praised God: “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His faithfulness is everlasting.” (1 Chr. 16:34). If you fail to make a habit of thanking Him, you may take Him for granted. Even in times when he was jailed and persecuted, Paul worshiped God and gave thanks: “always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father;” (Eph. 5:20). Through Jeremiah, God declared that He will answer your prayers when you call upon Him: “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jer. 33:3). Are you thanking God for your answered prayers?
Give thanks that God can strengthen you during a trial. David further gave thanks that God strengthened him during his trials. “You made me bold with strength in my soul.” (Ps. 138:3b). God can also strengthen you during a trial. ‘“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will also help you, I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Is. 41:10). “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” (2 Tim. 1:7). “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13). “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self,” (Eph. 3:16). “strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all perseverance and patience; joyously” (Col. 1:11). Even if God does not answer your prayers by changing your situation, you can give thanks that He will answer your faithful prayers during a trial with the strength to get through it.
The effective fervent prayer of the righteous can accomplish great things. Once you confess your sins to Jesus, God promises that those who pray fervently can accomplish much: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” (Ja. 5:16). As an example of this, God heard Elijah’s prayers to both stop and later restart the rain in Israel: “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.” (Jam. 5:17-18). As another example, Nehemiah prayed continually for God to see and hear the prayers of His sinful people: ‘“let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open, to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants,”’ (Neh. 1:6 ). It is only because of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice that your otherwise sinful prayers can be in God’s presence to be answered. Thus, Jesus deserves your heart-felt appreciation for what He did for you at the cross.
4. Submission: Developing A Heart of Gratitude Requires That You Approach God With a Submissive Heart to Put His Will Before Your Own. Ps. 138:4-5.
Let your gratitude be rooted in a love that submits your will to God. David’s gratitude prompted him to put God first in his life. He also gave a prophetic thanks that all the nations will one day submit to God. “4 All the kings of the earth will give thanks to You, Lord, when they have heard the words of Your mouth. 5 And they will sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord.” (Ps. 138:4-5). “[B]righter days are coming, in which rulers will become hearers and worshippers: may the advent of such happy times be hastened. What an assembly!—'all the kings of the earth!’ What a purpose! Gathered to hear the words of Jehovah's mouth. What a preacher! David himself rehearses the words of Jehovah. What praise! when they all in happy union lift up their songs unto the Lord. Kings are as gods below, and they do well when they worship the God above. The way of conversion for kings is the same as for ourselves: faith to them also cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Happy are those who can cause the word of the Lord to penetrate palaces; for the occupants of thrones are usually the last to know the joyful sounds of the gospel.” (Charles Spurgeon Ps. 138:4).7
Every knee will bow before Jesus and worship Him8
The mocking of powerful kings will turn to praise. The placement of Psalm 138 and 137 is not an accident. “The fact that foreign kings sing Yahweh’s praise in 138:4 stands in ironic contrast to the taunting Babylonian call for songs of Zion in 137:3… As in the movement from Ps. 137 to 138, the weeping and longing of God’s people will be turned to praise and thanks when Jesus comes to reign.” (James Hamilton on Ps. 138:4).9
All the nations will one day bow down and glorify God. David previously made a similar prophetic claim. “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will worship before You. For the kingdom is the LORD’S and He rules over the nations.” (Ps. 22:27-28). Isaiah also revealed that a day will come when the nations will bow before God. “I have sworn by Myself; the word has gone out from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.” (Is. 45:23). This is repeated in the New Testament. “For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:9-11; Rom. 14:11). “And I heard every created thing which is in heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, or on the sea, and all the things in them, saying, ‘To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be the blessing, the honor, the glory, and the dominion forever and ever.”’ (Rev. 5:13). This means that the nations will be glad to submit to God’s perfect will for their lives.
Submit your will to God and let your gratitude and praise be a light to the lost. For nonbelievers to repent and sing God’s praises, they must first hear the Good News. Like David, believers are called upon to submit to God and show their gratitude and praise to those who are spiritually blinded. “and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy; as it is written: ‘Therefore I will give praise to you among the gentiles, and I will sing praises to Your name. Again he says, ‘Rejoice, you gentiles, with His people.” (Ro. 15:9-10). When you are God’s light to the lost, He will help you to persevere.
5. Humility: Developing Lasting Gratitude Requires Humility. Ps. 138:6.
Let your gratitude be rooted in a humble heart before God. Based upon his own failures, David was grateful that God blessed him with His undeserved grace. “6 For the Lord is exalted, yet He looks after the lowly, but He knows the haughty from afar.” (Ps. 138:6). “Exalted as He is, Jehovah never loses sight of the lowly, and in due time raises them up (Exodus 3:7; Isaiah 57:15; Isaiah 66:2; Psalm 113:5 ff.): and the haughty he knoweth from afar; no distance hides them from His eye, and they cannot escape the punishment they deserve.” (Prof. Alexander Francis Kirkpatrick on Ps. 138:6).10
Humble yourself before God. David knew that God hears the requests of the humble: “LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will make Your ear attentive.” (Ps. 10:17). When Job questioned God, God responded in part that all nature was in submission to Him: “Will the wild bull be willing to serve you, or will he spend the night at your feeding trough?” (Job 39:9). In response to Job’s efforts to challenge God, God also asked if he had His power: “Or do you have an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like His?” (Job 40:9). There is no other God besides Him: “I am the LORD, and there is no one else; there is no God except Me. I will arm you, though you have not known Me,” (Is. 45:5). “You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD, He is God; there is no other besides Him.” (Dt. 4:35). Only His hand has the power to save us: “‘See now that I, I am He, and there is no god besides Me; it is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, and there is no one who can save anyone from My hand.” (Dt. 32:39). Thus, approach God with humility, and be thankful for all that He does for you.
Be grateful that your suffering never escapes God’s notice in heaven11
Also approach God in prayer and worship with a contrite and humble heart. God wants to exalt you. But you must first approach Him in humility: “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.” (Matt. 23:12; Lk. 14:11; 18:14). “A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.” (Prov. 29:23). “‘God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”’ (Jam. 4:6(b)). “Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” (Ja. 4:10). “He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted those who were humble.” (Lk. 1:52). “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,” (1 Pet. 5:6). “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matt. 5:5 KJV). In worship and in prayer, approach God in humility.
Humility will help your gratitude endure during your trials. If you approach God believing that you are entitled to something, you will be disappointed. Your gratitude will quickly disappear during a trial if God does not act according to your timing.
If a nation humbles itself before God, He will forgive and heal it. God promises to deliver any nation that humbles itself before Him: “and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chr. 7:14). It is the role of the Church to pray and be His salt and light in leading the nation to repent. Is your church fasting and praying for your nation to return to God in humility?
6. Faith: Developing Lasting Gratitude Requires Faith. Ps. 138:7.
Let your gratitude be rooted in faith. David’s gratitude was rooted in his faith that God would save him from his enemies and revive him. “7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will reach out with Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me.” (Ps. 138:7). “This implies that the writer was then in trouble, and it expresses the conviction that whenever he should be in trouble God would remember him, and give him life and strength.” (Albert Barnes Ps. 138:7).12
Turn to God’s Word when you need spiritual revival. When David wrote this, he expressed gratitude in the face of an ongoing trial. His gratitude was not limited to circumstances where God fulfilled his exact requests like a genie. Like David, other psalmists also turned to God’s Word in faith when they or God’s people needed spiritual revival. “You who have shown me many troubles and distresses will revive me again, and will bring me up again from the depths of the earth.” (Ps. 71:20). “Will You not revive us again, so that Your people may rejoice in You?” (Ps. 85:6). “Then we will not turn back from You; revive us, and we will call upon Your name.” (Ps. 80:18). “My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to Your word.” (Ps. 119:25). “Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” (Is. 40:31).
Jesus will strengthen you when you need revival. Jesus would come to fulfill God’s promises to save His people from death and then spiritually revive them. “He sent His word and healed them, and saved them from their destruction.” (Ps. 107:20). “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (1 Pet. 5:10). “looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:2). You only need faith to avail yourself of these promises.
Without faith, your gratitude will likely fail in the face of a trial. Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). Without faith, you are more likely to turn to yourself or the world to overcome your trials. Without faith, your gratitude will most likely be limited to circumstances when it seems that things are going your way. This type of gratitude will quickly disappear in the face of a severe or ongoing trial.
7. God’s Will: Lasting Gratitude Celebrates God’s Will, Not Yours. Ps. 138:8.
Gratitude that endures finds joy in the fulfillment in God’s will. David’s gratitude celebrated that God’s plan would be fulfilled. His gratitude did not depend upon God’s specific answer to his many prayers. “8 The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Your faithfulness, Lord, is everlasting; do not abandon the works of Your hands.” (Ps. 138:8). “Here we have the confident faith of a believer who is trusting the LORD to deliver him from his enemies and perfect his plan for his life.” (Allen Ross on Ps. 138).13
David was grateful because He knew that God would fulfill His Covenant with David. David faced many people who challenged his right to be king. He did not know the details for how his specific trials would end or if he would be killed. But He was grateful that God’s will for an eternal dynasty through him would be fulfilled. “When your days are finished and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” (2 Sam. 7:12-13). “I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to My servant David, I will establish your descendants forever and build up your throne to all generations.” Selah” (Ps. 89:3-4). Jesus came to fulfill these promises (Matt. 1:1; Lk. 1:69). “And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: ‘King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.” (Rev. 19:16).
Be grateful that nothing can prevent God’s will from being accomplished. God does not change His mind, and every promise of His will be fulfilled. “God is not a man, that He would lie, nor a son of man, that He would change His mind; has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Nu. 23:19). “So will My word be which goes out of My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it.” (Is. 55:11). “Then the LORD said to me, ‘You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.”’ (Jer. 1:12). “Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel in accordance with everything that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He promised through Moses His servant.” (1 Kgs. 8:56).
Give thanks that God will mold and perfect you according to His perfect plans14
Be grateful that Jesus’ will for you will also be fulfilled. Like David, you can also be grateful that God’s will in your life will always be fulfilled. “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 1:6). But to be content and grateful, you need to be praying for His will to be done and not yours. “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10). God’s perfect plans are always better than yours. “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Ro. 8:28).
Image credit: Demos honra a quien la merece | Estudio↩︎
James M. Hamilton Jr., Evangelical Bible Theology Commentary Psalms (Vol. II: Psalms 73-150) (Lexham Academic 2021) p. 452, 454.↩︎
Image credit: Psalms 138:6 KJV Bible Verse Images↩︎
Allen Ross, A Commentary of the Psalms: Volume 3 (90-150), Kregel Academic (2016) p. 809.↩︎
Image credit: Psalm 138:8 — Verse of the Day for 06/29/2018↩︎