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Psalm 138:1-3 ESV
I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.
If I give thanks to God with my whole heart, what does that look like? Well, my heart is the center of my being, my emotion, temperament, nature, mind, soul, etc. It is the essence of who I am as a person, my character, my personality, and my values. It is my passion and compassion, my fortitude and my courage. It is my affection and my sensitivity, too. It is the real me. It is what I think and believe. It is who I am inside my being whether alone with myself in a room, or whether I am with a crowd of people out in public.
So, if I give thanks to God with my whole heart, then that means I am being thankful to God with my whole being, with my whole character and mind and emotion and affection, etc., nothing held back; nothing fake; fully sincere. This is not lip service only. This is not me giving thanks with my lips while I grumble and complain within my spirit. This means that with everything that I am as a person I am being thankful (appreciative, grateful) to God for all that he has done, and for who he is, and for what he will yet do.
And, I don’t do this 100%, I confess. There are times when I do complain, and then I do have to confess that to my Lord, and turn from that, and I ask for his help in prompting me if I begin to go that way. And, so I make it my practice to put ungratefulness to death daily, by the Spirit, and to put on a heart of praise and thanksgiving to my God in all things, in his strength.
And, before what “gods” am I to give him this praise and thanksgiving? If we are not speaking of the one true God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – then we are speaking of idols, which are not just gods made out of wood and stone. For, an idol is anything worshiped in place of or above the one true God, maker of heaven and earth. So, a god can be an obsession, a human hero, an ideal, or any object of worship (of adoration, praise, loyalty and devotion). It could be sports, entertainment, politicians, or a country, etc.
So, I am to give God my praise before these gods (idols), i.e. he is to have my worship, my praise, my adoration, my loyalty and my devotion above all else and in place of other objects of worship I might otherwise bow down to if he was not my all in all. Our God is to have our whole hearts, our whole being, our whole minds, emotions, and affection, loyalty and devotion. And, from that all else will flow, and will go the way in which God intends, because he is then first above all else, and so all else will be in line with him.
When God is our all in all, then when we call on him he will answer. This is not saying we have to be perfect, though lack of perfection should never be used as an excuse for continued willful sin against God. But, it is saying that he needs to truly be our God, our Lord (owner-master), and that our lives need to be surrendered to him and to his will for our lives.
For, if our hearts are being given over to false gods, instead, and they are what are getting our time, our devotion and passion, while God gets the leftovers, then we are actually working against God. Therefore, he cannot help us, not because he is not able, but because we are thus circumventing any help he might otherwise provide for us. For, if we are, for example, viewing stuff with immorality, and we are being entertained by such as this, then we will not be able to receive help from God in having pure minds.
Psalm 138:4-6 ESV
All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth,
and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he knows from afar.
With regard to understanding the intended meaning of this passage of scripture, we must understand that translations of the Bible from Hebrew to English can vary from translation to translation. So, there are multiple ways to translate and/or to interpret this section of scripture.
Some commentators, thus, view this as a prophecy of the salvation of the Gentiles that was yet to come in the Messianic age. Others interpreted it saying when or if they hear, while others saw it more in the light of if they actually perceive it. Others saw it as wishful thinking on David’s part.
What I learned here is that this word translated “hear” or “heard” can also mean “listen, heed, obey, understand, and to listen obediently.” And, this would be consistent with the whole of scripture. For, it is when we truly understand and we listen obediently to God’s words, in humbling ourselves before him, that we will truly give him our praise and thanksgiving.
And, this also fits with this last verse here, too, which talks about God having regard for the lowly (the humble in heart), but him knowing from afar those who are haughty in spirit.
For, the intended meaning here, I believe, is to indicate that these kings have now humbled themselves before God in surrender to his will and in submission to his Lordship, for they have listened obediently to the words of God’s mouth, and therefore they (we who do likewise) shall sing (make proclamation) of the ways of the Lord. Amen!
Psalm 138:7-8 ESV
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your right hand delivers me.
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.
Therefore, we who have humbled ourselves before God, who are walking in his ways and in his truth, who are giving him honor and praise with our whole hearts and not just with our lips, have the assurance that our God is with us in times of trouble, heartache, distress and grief.
Although he allows us to go through such times as these, he will uphold us with his righteousness, he will strengthen us with his might, and he will encourage us in our spirits with much hope and determination to keep on in our faith.
He will help us and he will give us his counsel and his strength to endure much opposition from the enemy of our souls. And, he will show us the way in which we should walk (live in practice), that it may go well with us spiritually and emotionally. He will give us all we need, too, to resist Satan and to flee temptation and to draw near to God in full assurance of faith.
And, if our lives are given over to the Lord for his purposes and for his glory, and we are submitted to his Lordship, he will fulfill his purposes for us in and through our lives for his glory, honor, and praise. He will not leave us or forsake us, for his steadfast love endures forever. He will be completely faithful and trustworthy in all that he does on our behalf, and he will fulfill all his promises. For, he does not lie. So, we can trust him fully, and we can completely depend on him to do all that he said he would do. Amen!
I Will Lift My Eyes
An Original Work / December 12, 2012
Based off Psalms 121-125
I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.
He will not let your foot slip, and He who watches will not sleep.
Our Lord watches over you, and your life He will keep.
I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.
I give thanks to Him.
I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n.
Because of His great love for us, He made us alive with Christ.
Through the kindness of our Savior, He gave us new life.
I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n;
My home, now in heav’n.
Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.
Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.
Those who trust will ne’er be shaken. God will supply all we need.
Our Lord has done great things for us. He’s our friend, indeed!
Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.
Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.
I can count on Him.
Monday, July 8, 2019
I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.
If I give thanks to God with my whole heart, what does that look like? Well, my heart is the center of my being, my emotion, temperament, nature, mind, soul, etc. It is the essence of who I am as a person, my character, my personality, and my values. It is my passion and compassion, my fortitude and my courage. It is my affection and my sensitivity, too. It is the real me. It is what I think and believe. It is who I am inside my being whether alone with myself in a room, or whether I am with a crowd of people out in public.
So, if I give thanks to God with my whole heart, then that means I am being thankful to God with my whole being, with my whole character and mind and emotion and affection, etc., nothing held back; nothing fake; fully sincere. This is not lip service only. This is not me giving thanks with my lips while I grumble and complain within my spirit. This means that with everything that I am as a person I am being thankful (appreciative, grateful) to God for all that he has done, and for who he is, and for what he will yet do.
And, I don’t do this 100%, I confess. There are times when I do complain, and then I do have to confess that to my Lord, and turn from that, and I ask for his help in prompting me if I begin to go that way. And, so I make it my practice to put ungratefulness to death daily, by the Spirit, and to put on a heart of praise and thanksgiving to my God in all things, in his strength.
And, before what “gods” am I to give him this praise and thanksgiving? If we are not speaking of the one true God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – then we are speaking of idols, which are not just gods made out of wood and stone. For, an idol is anything worshiped in place of or above the one true God, maker of heaven and earth. So, a god can be an obsession, a human hero, an ideal, or any object of worship (of adoration, praise, loyalty and devotion). It could be sports, entertainment, politicians, or a country, etc.
So, I am to give God my praise before these gods (idols), i.e. he is to have my worship, my praise, my adoration, my loyalty and my devotion above all else and in place of other objects of worship I might otherwise bow down to if he was not my all in all. Our God is to have our whole hearts, our whole being, our whole minds, emotions, and affection, loyalty and devotion. And, from that all else will flow, and will go the way in which God intends, because he is then first above all else, and so all else will be in line with him.
When God is our all in all, then when we call on him he will answer. This is not saying we have to be perfect, though lack of perfection should never be used as an excuse for continued willful sin against God. But, it is saying that he needs to truly be our God, our Lord (owner-master), and that our lives need to be surrendered to him and to his will for our lives.
For, if our hearts are being given over to false gods, instead, and they are what are getting our time, our devotion and passion, while God gets the leftovers, then we are actually working against God. Therefore, he cannot help us, not because he is not able, but because we are thus circumventing any help he might otherwise provide for us. For, if we are, for example, viewing stuff with immorality, and we are being entertained by such as this, then we will not be able to receive help from God in having pure minds.
Psalm 138:4-6 ESV
All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth,
and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he knows from afar.
With regard to understanding the intended meaning of this passage of scripture, we must understand that translations of the Bible from Hebrew to English can vary from translation to translation. So, there are multiple ways to translate and/or to interpret this section of scripture.
Some commentators, thus, view this as a prophecy of the salvation of the Gentiles that was yet to come in the Messianic age. Others interpreted it saying when or if they hear, while others saw it more in the light of if they actually perceive it. Others saw it as wishful thinking on David’s part.
What I learned here is that this word translated “hear” or “heard” can also mean “listen, heed, obey, understand, and to listen obediently.” And, this would be consistent with the whole of scripture. For, it is when we truly understand and we listen obediently to God’s words, in humbling ourselves before him, that we will truly give him our praise and thanksgiving.
And, this also fits with this last verse here, too, which talks about God having regard for the lowly (the humble in heart), but him knowing from afar those who are haughty in spirit.
For, the intended meaning here, I believe, is to indicate that these kings have now humbled themselves before God in surrender to his will and in submission to his Lordship, for they have listened obediently to the words of God’s mouth, and therefore they (we who do likewise) shall sing (make proclamation) of the ways of the Lord. Amen!
Psalm 138:7-8 ESV
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your right hand delivers me.
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.
Therefore, we who have humbled ourselves before God, who are walking in his ways and in his truth, who are giving him honor and praise with our whole hearts and not just with our lips, have the assurance that our God is with us in times of trouble, heartache, distress and grief.
Although he allows us to go through such times as these, he will uphold us with his righteousness, he will strengthen us with his might, and he will encourage us in our spirits with much hope and determination to keep on in our faith.
He will help us and he will give us his counsel and his strength to endure much opposition from the enemy of our souls. And, he will show us the way in which we should walk (live in practice), that it may go well with us spiritually and emotionally. He will give us all we need, too, to resist Satan and to flee temptation and to draw near to God in full assurance of faith.
And, if our lives are given over to the Lord for his purposes and for his glory, and we are submitted to his Lordship, he will fulfill his purposes for us in and through our lives for his glory, honor, and praise. He will not leave us or forsake us, for his steadfast love endures forever. He will be completely faithful and trustworthy in all that he does on our behalf, and he will fulfill all his promises. For, he does not lie. So, we can trust him fully, and we can completely depend on him to do all that he said he would do. Amen!
I Will Lift My Eyes
An Original Work / December 12, 2012
Based off Psalms 121-125
I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.
He will not let your foot slip, and He who watches will not sleep.
Our Lord watches over you, and your life He will keep.
I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.
I give thanks to Him.
I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n.
Because of His great love for us, He made us alive with Christ.
Through the kindness of our Savior, He gave us new life.
I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n;
My home, now in heav’n.
Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.
Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.
Those who trust will ne’er be shaken. God will supply all we need.
Our Lord has done great things for us. He’s our friend, indeed!
Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.
Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.
I can count on Him.
Monday, July 8, 2019
