Psalm 138

These next 8 psalms are attributed to David, which is an important element of context, since we have extensive written evidence of his life.  We can point to points of his story that highlight why David would write them.  David’s psalms are a revelation of God’s character, since he was a man after God’s own heart and he knew God well.  Above all that David accomplished, we would be wise to strive for this close of a relationship with our Creator.

Verse 6, I believe, is the lynchpin for this psalm.  God, although being who He is, associates with the lowly, but He remains far from the proud.  We have complete access to God, as long as we recognize who He is and submit to His authority.  Otherwise, He will have nothing to do with us.  He has no real reason to, but He does anyway.  This is an example of His love.  He created us for His pleasure and will, He can do whatever He pleases to us.  Yet, He desires to be in a relationship with us.  What a blessing!

Have you considered how much of a blessing this is?  We could be vaporized in His presence, but in His love and mercy, He did and continues to do everything possible to invite us to be close to Him.  David’s opening line gives credit where it is due.  It makes me pause and evaluate my own life: do I give thanks to God with all my heart and praise Him above all other gods?  There are certainly many other things in this life that try to attract our praise and worship.  Sports teams, spouses, children, jobs…just to name a few all get praise, attention, and worship from us in various ways.  Maybe it’s a hobby that pulls away our attention.  Maybe it’s a game on your phone or console.  Maybe it’s a unique car, or flowers, or movies, or rock stars.  The list is endless, really.  But here, David keeps things in their rightful order because God is worthy of praise.

Worship, broken down into its original meaning, explains something that is worthy of praise.  Yet, sometimes we give preference to other things that aren’t as worthy, comparatively.  It doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t praise and encourage our children when they do well.  It doesn’t mean we aren’t allowed to ogle over a cool looking car.  What it means is: do we praise and worship those things more than God?  If you aren’t sure, check a couple of things.  How much money do we spend on things not related to God?  How much time do we spend with others and not our Creator?  Have we become a slave to our jobs, money, or something else that seems to have taken over our lives?

It’s complicated, I know, but none of these things that we serve in life are as important as the One who created us!  There are ways to interact with these elements of our life without dishonoring God.  This might create more questions than answers and I would love to help you answer them!  Drop your thoughts in the comments section below.