THE PSALMIST S CONFIDENCE Ps. 138:1 A Psalm of David. I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. 2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. 3 In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. 4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth. 5 Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD. 6 Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. 8 The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands. Last Thursday evening we began looking at The Psalmist s Confidence in Ps. 138. Just to refresh your memory we honed in on David s HEARTFELT PRAISE in v.1 I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee, and then his HEART-LONGING PRAISE v.2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. Let s now look at the next two verses HEART-STRENGTHENING PRAISE v.3 In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. Not only has it been the experience of the Psalmist, but it has been our experience too, that we have come before the Lord with such a heavy burden upon our hearts. There have been those times when we have feared we would not be able to bear it. It reached deep down into the soul (nephesh, the life/breath the body of Adam received when God breathed into him, Gen. 2:7). The hurt has been terrible, and you called upon God day and night to lift you out of the pit, as it were and then you can remember those moments when you realised He had neither left you or forsaken you, because He was there all the time, when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. We almost rebuked ourselves for thinking we were facing the difficulty alone. I trusted your promises and prayed, and You answered above and beyond anything I could ever have imagined. Eph. 3:19 to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.
2 Through many uncertain days the Lord has taught us where to find respite from our worries and cares for each and every day is in the capable hands of our loving Heavenly Father, Ps. 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. In exactly the same way that God was in charge of creating the seven days in Gen. 1, He remains in charge of each and every day He opens our eyes in the morning to see. Yes, there is nothing wrong in crying to Him, - it does not show we trust Him any the less. Job mourned, and yet he continued to believe, 16:20 My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God. Such was the psalmist s burden that he too wept all night, 6:6 I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears. 7 Mine eye is consumed because of grief; 8 Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping. 9 The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer. He does not turn away and leave you alone. Is it not often the case that when you are in the deepest waters, along the most frightening of straits, you prove the Lord the greatest! I read about a believer who was sentenced to death because of his faith in Christ. He was to be burned at the stake, and frightened because he was certain he would never be able to endure the suffering. One night he experimented by putting his little finger into the candle flame. The pain was excruciating, and he immediately withdrew his finger, I will disgrace my Lord, he shamefully thought. But when the hour came for him to die, his death brought praise and glory to His Saviour. God gave him the power when he needed it the most, and not before. Praise is not just for the happy-clappies ( and the Lord bless them too! ), praise is also for those believers who are weak and need to come to the Saviour to be strengthened, Ps. 3:4 I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill 34:4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears 120:1 In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me Jonah 2:2 I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me. He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater, He sendeth more strength as our labours increase; To added afflictions He addeth His mercy, To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.
3 When we have exhausted our store of endurance, When our strength has failed ere the day is half done, When we reach the end of our hoarded resources Our Father s full giving is only begun. Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision, Our God ever yearns His resources to share; Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing; The Father both thee and thy load will upbear. His love has no limits, His grace has no measure, His power no boundary known unto men; For out of His infinite riches in Jesus He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again. When you read the verse even closer you notice the psalmist was blessed with a speedy answer, In the day when I cried thou answeredst me. Sometimes immediately the Lord answers our prayers in the way we would desire Him to answer them, - never forget to give Him thanks tell others about it. Our God strengthens the heart of His believing people. Heartfelt, heart-longing, heart-strengthening praise and HEART-RENDERING PRAISE v.4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth. 5 Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD. The false gods mentioned in v.1 have long been forgotten, - they have failed their worshippers so miserably but what a difference Jehovah brought to His children. Because of the confidence God s people had in their Lord it spilled over to the outside community. The non-believers were touched with the faith in God demonstrated by the Lord s people. David, - a king himself, - began to pray for other kings and other rulers. He had a heart for those who had similar responsibilities to himself. Those to whom God have given the rule over us have tremendous power, but that power has been granted to them by God. Therefore, their first allegiance is to Him. However, God s supreme authority in the matter is not always recognised and here David is praying that the minds of the all the kings of the earth shall praise the Lord. What a tremendous change would take place in society!
4 Outside of the life of Christ, the man who has had the greatest influence on Western society, - and probably in the whole of history, - was an Emperor known as Constantine the Great (c. 272-337). Through him Christianity became no longer the persecuted religion but the dominant religion of the empire. Whether or not Constantine was a committed Biblical Christian is hotly debated, but God definitely answered the prayers of the martyrs and faithful believers who cried unto Him to deliver them. Here, David was praying for the kings, and for the rulers. It reminds us how Paul instructs us, I Tim. 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. God saves many of those whom he elevates to high positions of authority in our country. It has often been the case that those in government and in leadership who are believers or who have come under the influence of Biblical principles have been responsible for introducing laws based upon God s Word. And here is something else worth noticing: the word David uses to describe the praise (yadah) he longs for the kings of the earth to bring before the Lord is the word he first used in the opening verse. He wanted them to praise the Lord in the same way he praised the Lord too. He didn t just want them to go through the motions of religion, - the word he used was the word out of which praise comes from the heart. He wanted the kings of the earth to know and worship God as he did. He is praying for those in authority, as we ought also. He is praying for them to hear the words of thy mouth to hear the Word of God. Pray for our own Royal Family, that God would save them, and that they would listen to the truth that comes from His Word. Jehovah is greater than all the rulers, and if the rulers would come to know Him in a personal way, - in the same way David knew God, - they would be joining in the singing of the songs David sang also. In the fourth century AD God changed the world through Constantine God changes the hearts of rulers because He alone is in the throne of Heaven.
5 Indeed, David, - with the eye of faith, - can see the beautiful choir of kings and queens, of men and women of distinction and when we loo at the choir in Heaven we see that every choir member belongs to Kings own household, Rom. 8:16 The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ. All of Heaven is royalty from the Throne down! Rom. 8:37 we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Notice, Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD. They will no longer be walking along paths that are not of the Lord; instead, they will be singing and walking where God would have them travel. Each and every one of the kings in Heaven gives to the King of Kings all the praise and all the Glory, for they know that He alone is worthy. What a beautiful place Heaven must be! CONCLUSION Heart-strengthening praise and heart-rendering praise. Everything He does for us is for our good and to His glory. He strengthens us when we feel so inadequate. He gives us such a foundation in our souls that we can bear far more than we would ever think we are able. We do not praise Him because He keeps us from hard times, - we love and praise Him in spite of the hard times, James 4:6 he giveth more grace. God giveth grace unto the humble. The gift of faith He has given brings us through the most difficult of circumstances, to His glory. In the great and grand court of Nebuchadnezzar we see the glory with which Daniel blessed the God of Heaven (2:19), v.20 Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: 21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: 22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. 23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers. May the Lord keep us faithful and continue to maintain within us a true heart after God, to His praise!