Thanksgiving is nearly upon us, that annual holiday when we pause and give thanks for all God has done.
The book of Psalms is a great resource to help us verbalize our gratitude to the Lord. There are many songs there that give thanks to God in various situations and circumstances. In fact, there is an entire genre of psalms, called “thanksgiving psalms.” These psalms were crafted in response to God answering a lament. In essence, when the psalmist cried out to the Lord for help, and he responded, the psalmist then responded with thanksgiving.
Psalm 138 is one such psalm. In it, David responded in thanksgiving to the Lord for rescuing him from his enemies. We don’t know the exact lament this psalm is in response to because he writes of it in general terms. But we can tell it was a circumstance in which he feared for his life. Because this psalms is so general, it makes it easy for us to apply it to our own life and circumstances. Psalm 138 helps us worship and give thanks to the Lord for his goodness to us.
James Boice once wrote that “worship is acknowledging God as the great God he truly is and praising him for it. In other words, worship has to do with confessing God’s attributes…it also has to do with thanking God for what he has done.” In reading Psalm 138, we find a number of reasons to give thanks to God for who he is and what he has done.
Reasons to Give Thanks
God’s character and his ways: “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” (vv. 1-2). David begins the psalm right away with praising God. He identifies two central characteristics of God: love and faithfulness. This reminds us of numerous passage throughout Scripture that speak of God’s steadfast love (hesed) and faithfulness. In Exodus 34, when the Lord passed in front of Moses, he described himself as “abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” God is a covenant making and keeping God. He sets his love upon us and nothing can move it. He is faithful to keep his promises to his people. His name, I am, the one he gave to Moses, is exalted above all names. His word is life and truth. These are all covenantal reasons to give thanks to our great God.
God answers prayer: “On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased” (v.3). This is where the psalm gets personal. God heard David’s lament and he answered him. He strengthened him when his soul was weak and in despair. This prompts us to remember all the times the Lord has met us in our own pits of sorrow; when we thought the sun would never rise again, the Lord provided the grace we needed to endure and brought us through to the other side. May we never cease to give thanks to the Lord who answers our cries for help.
God will be exalted: “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” (vv.4-5). Here David looks to a future time when all the rulers of the earth will acknowledge that God alone is King above all. Because of Christ, the King of Kings, we too can look forward to the day when “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11).
God sees the humble: “For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar” (v.6). We do not serve a God who is distant from his people; rather, we serve a God who has come near. In the Old Testament, the Lord dwelt among the people in a tabernacle. In the New Testament, God sent his Son, wrapped in human flesh, to live among us. Jesus came not to those who have no need of a Savior—not to the haughty—but he came to the lowly, those who are sick and in need of healing.
God rescues and redeems: “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” (v. 7). David knew much trouble in his life and many of his psalms reflect that. Life in this fallen world is filled with trouble. We can rejoice and give thanks that we worship a God who rescues and redeems. He not only intervenes in our day to day troubles, but he also rescued us from our very worst fear: eternity apart from God. He sent his Son to redeem us from sin and bring us back to himself. Praise the Lord for his salvation!
God completes his work in us: “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands” (v.8). God made promises to David, not the least of which was that his dynasty would continue on. In our own lives, we too can rejoice that God fulfills all his purposes for us. He will make us like Christ. He will finish the work he began in us. He will persevere us to the end. “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).
Take the time to read Psalm 138 and give thanks to our great God today.
