We Are God’s Creations – Psalm 138

A text – Psalm 138

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 your name and your word above everything.
³ On the day I called, you answered me; you increased my strength of soul.

⁴ All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth.
⁵ 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 perceives from far away.

⁷ Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand, 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.

A reflection:

This psalm of praise and thanksgiving has a particular power, if you are blessed with an imagination. The writer gives thanks to God for using power on the writer’s behalf steadily and faithfully. Then in verse 4 we see an amazing sight: all the kings of the earth will praise our God. Truly and sincerely. Let’s imagine that. I can see certain rulers of earth impressed by God’s creative powers or even the granting of big wishes. But can I see a ruler of earth singing God’s praises for God’s habit of “regarding the lowly”?

In the final stanza, the writer and God have a close personal relationship of protection and saving because the writer has a God-given purpose which, if the writer allows God to do the steering, will be fulfilled to God’s glory. The last verse almost begs God to not leave the writer to be the boss – “Do not forsake the work of your hands.”

How much do we consider ourselves the work of the Lord, children of a heavenly parent who is raising us, even at age 74? If we know that God is faithful, if we know that God will win out in the end no matter who is our temporal ruler, and we know that God loves us as a parent, we, too can say verses 7 and 8 sincerely and humbly, especially when we feel we are in trouble. Let me be your preacher for a moment. Say this psalm several times in the coming days. If not the whole thing, say just the final two verses. Say it, and by saying it, convince yourself (and I actually mean let the Holy Spirit convince you) that you are God’s beloved child, and God is creating you, even today, to fulfill a purpose that helps God to create a trustworthy world. We are part of God’s life, and God will not forsake us.

A prayer:

Lord God, thank you for loving us. Thank you for creating us as a part of your life and giving us work to do in your kingdom. Help us to remember that you are faithful and that you will always guide us into trustworthy work that brings about your purposes. Amen.