Psalm 138

Reading for September 16, 2012          Psalm 138

Psalm 138, in a manner similar to Psalm 135, addresses the question, ‘Why do we worship God?’ Psalm 135, identified several attributes of God, who is worthy of our praise. Psalm 138 centers on two virtues of God: His Word and the fulfillment of His purpose.

Within every church there is an underlying theme that permeates their public worship services. For some churches, the theme centers on the act of worship, whether joyful and full of energy, or thoughtful and steeped in the traditions and harmonies of ages past. Others may focus on summoning the Army of the Lord to overcome the evils of society through ministries of peace and justice; while others will seek to rightly divide the Word of God through preaching and teaching the Bible.  

Many in the congregations specifically chose their church because of the attraction of the theme, while many others gather out of habit, and may not be consciously aware of the worship theme. Psalm 138 can serve as an invitation to examine your heart. How do you understand your experience of God? How does your understanding of God’s nature lead you in worship? If you feel uncertain in answering these questions, I encourage you to turn in your Bible to the magnificent fortieth chapter of Isaiah. Read the chapter aloud, purposefully. I am convinced your heart will resonate in awe of God, our Savior.

A voice cries out: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand for ever.

He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms,

Lift up your eyes on high and see:  Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name;

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.

but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40: 3,8,11,26,28,31 NRSV

Sē’lah

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What word or phrase in today’s reading of the Psalms

 attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

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Reading for September 17, 2012          Psalm 139