What do you do when you are anxious or discouraged about life in general? During this Covid-19 pandemic a lot of attention has been devoted to help people deal with stress and anxiousness that the shutdown has caused. The things I have seen have included activities like increased binge watching tv, yoga meditation, and various distracting stay at home games. It seems that the way the world is leading people to deal with various kinds of anxiousness or stress is to offer activities that distract the mind. When reading Psalm 138 I was struck how radically different is the wisdom of scripture compared to that of the world’s wisdom. Instead of leading people to towards distraction or forgetfulness during times of trouble, the wisdom of scripture leads people to remember. Remember what?
First, Psalm 138 reminds the reader to remember the love and faithfulness of God. The Psalm begins, “1 I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; 2 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. 3 On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.” The language David is using to describe what he is doing in his day of trouble is to remember the covenant. That is what it means when he says he bows down towards the temple and give thanks to the Lord for his steadfast (conventual) love and faithfulness. If David wrote this Psalm (as the title of Psalm 138 suggests), there was no temple at the time. Thus his language is looking back not only to God’s faithfulness to the covenant given at Mt. Sinai, but also of God’s faithfulness given to him personally in God’s promises regarding the future. God told David that a descendent of his will not only sit on his throne and his kingdom will never end. Thus, David is remembering the covenant that God had made to him, guaranteed by God’s own character, by the righteousness of the Lord. You and I can do the same. There is a covenant that the Lord has made with us that is guaranteed by his own righteousness and character. It is the New Covenant of Jesus Christ by which you are forgiven and have life. Thus you can pray in the same way and bear witness; “I called, you answered, the strength of my soul you increased.”
The next thing that David remembers is the nature of God’s character. Not only does he remember and give thanks for what God has done, but he remembers and enjoys the nature and presence of God. He says “4 All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O LORD, for they have heard the words of your mouth, 5 and they shall sing of the ways of the LORD, for great is the glory of the LORD. 6 For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.” Notice what David says about God. Great is the glory of the Lord. Yes, David gives thanks and praises God because for what He has done (the covenant), but I think even more importantly in the strengthening the soul is David’s praise and thanks to the Lord for his great glory. God’s great glory is a description of the very nature and character of God. To me, this is key in coming out of a time of hopelessness or discouragement. What causes me to hope in God? Is it his gifts or blessings or is it his character? My hope is in the Lord, not in his blessings to me. This is why I trust him, believe him, and follow him. He is righteous and holy and great is his glory.
Finally (and I think this is where the strengthen of the soul happens during a time of trouble), after remembering God’s good and faithful deeds, and remembering God’s character, David trusts the Lord and gives him thanks. “7 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. 8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” What an amazing verse. Though I walk in trouble I trust the Lord to:
- Preserve my life.
- Stretch out his hand against my enemies (both physical and spiritual) and deliver me.
- Fulfill His purposes for me (WOW!).
- Will love me with a steadfast love that endures forever
- And will not forsake the work of his hands.
This is why we may trust the Lord in the midst of trouble. And this is why it is in the remembering and giving thanks that the soul is strengthened!
Grace and Peace!
Pastor Trent Eastman
About the Photo – The photo is of an ancient mosaic located in Capernaum Israel, the place where it is believed that Jesus fed thousands with two fishes and five loaves of bread. The mosaic represents both the character of Christ (his compassion) and his blessings (the bread pointing to both the New Covenant and fellowship). Also, the fish in Greek was used as an acronym for “Jesus Christ God Son Savior.” The mosaic serves as a reminder to trust and give thanks to the Lord.
Concerning the Word of Life 