
Prayer is the best way to respond to trouble. Psalm 50:15 says, “Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” How should you pray when troubles come? Consider how Psalm 138 answers. It is a prayer of thanksgiving. Every prayer should involve and include thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the main ingredient of this prayer of praise.
This psalm of thanksgiving is ascribed to David. We do not know the historical background of this psalm. However, the text gives several clues. Verse 8 says, “I walk in the midst of trouble.” It also mentions “the wrath of my enemies.” As enemies troubled David, he responded by going to God in prayer. But this psalm is not a lamentation or cry for deliverance. The tone, content, and purpose are filled with thanksgiving. There is only one prayer request– the last line of the final verse. David does not ask God to rescue him from his troubles. He went to the Lord in prayer just to say thank you. This is how you should pray in trouble.
In Ruthless Trust, Brennan Manning wrote: “Let’s say I interviewed ten people, asking each the same question – “Do you trust God?” And each answered, “Yes, I trust God,” but nine of the ten actually did not trust him. How would I find out which one of the ragamuffins was telling the truth? I would videotape each of the ten lives for a month and then, after watching the videos, pass judgment using this criterion: the person with an abiding spirit of gratitude is the one who trusts God.” Manning concludes: “The foremost quality of a trusting disciple is gratefulness.”
Do you trust God? Trust in God is expressed by believing prayer. But it is not necessarily an act of trust to ask God to get you out of trouble. That may be desperation, not dependence. Trust is displayed by thanking God in the midst of trouble. That’s the message of Psalm 138: In the midst of your troubles, you still have much to thank God for. What should you thank God for in the midst of your troubles?
Give Thanks for What the Lord Has Done.
David begins this psalm by giving thanks for what the Lord has done for him. These opening statements teach the nature of grateful praise.
An Act of Devotion. Verse 1 says, “I give thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart.” David gives thanks wholeheartedly, not halfheartedly. He thanks God with all he is and all he has. This is no special category of praise. It is the nature of true praise. It is all or nothing. Charles Spurgeon said, “We need a broken heart to mourn our own sins, but a whole heart to praise the Lord’s perfections.” God is dishonored by halfhearted praise. Give thanks with your whole heart.
Likewise, David sings, “Before the gods I sing your praise.” This reference to the “gods” does not confirm the existence of rival deities. David claims that dead idols – and those who worship them – will not, cannot mute his praise for the living God. It’s one thing to praise God in the sanctuary with the saints. It’s another thing to praise him before those who claim that God is not real. Because idolators will not praise God, we should praise him all the more!
- Verse 1 reflects boldness that worships before the gods
- Verse 2 reflects humility that bows before the living God.
David sings, “I bow down toward your holy temple.” David honored God with his posture, not just his words. He does not sit in worship, as if he was on God’s level. He does not stand in worship, as a sign of respect. He bowed in humble submission. David reverently gives thanks “for your steadfast love and faithfulness.” These are twin attributes of God. “Steadfast love” refers to the loyal love of God. “Faithfulness” refers to the truthfulness of what God says.
David adds: “For you have exalted above all things your name and your word.” The NKJV translates it: “You have magnified your word above all your name.” Either reading is breathtaking. Herbert Lockyer called this “one of the most amazing and remarkable expressions in the whole of scripture.”
- God exalts his name by his word!
- God exalts his word by his name!
An Acknowledgement of Deliverance. Verse 3 states the occasion of this prayer of thanksgiving: “On the day I called, you answered me.”David “called” on the Lord. When he was in trouble, he cried out to God for help. That’s the proper response to troubling circumstances. Call on the Lord. Don’t waste time calling on people who cannot make a difference. Call on the one who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think. When David called, God “answered” him. Why pray? There are two fundamental reasons:
- God commands us to pray.
- God answers prayer.
This is what sets God apart from idols. God is a living God who is willing to hear and able to answer prayer. David testifies that God answers prayer. He also tells us when God answers prayer: “On the day I called.” The Lord did not make David wait for an answer. He answered David’s call swiftly, speedily, and suddenly. It was same-day service.
Notice how God answered David: “My strength of soul you increased.” Derek Kidner wrote: “It is not always the situation which most needs changing; it is, as often as not, the man involved in it.” The Lord did not change David’s circumstances. He cast out worry, doubt, and fear and gave him strength, courage, and vitality to face his troubles. Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait on the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
Give Thanks for What the Lord Will Do.
In verses 4-6, David’s thanksgiving goes public. David’s worship turns evangelistic. He looks forward to a day when the highest offices of human authority will worship God.
The Kings Will Give Thanks for God’s Word. Verse 4 says “All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord.” The kings of the earth were objects of worship. They were reluctant to worship, for to do so would acknowledge a greater authority. All the more, the kings rejected Yahweh, who demanded total allegiance. Psalm 2:2 says, “The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed.” Yet David foresees a revolution. The kings of the earth shall give thanks to the Lord.
In Daniel 4, Nebuchadnezzar took credit for building the Babylonian Empire. The Lord turned the great and glorious king into an animal on all fours until he acknowledged the Lord. That is not the last time the Lord will make kings sing his praise. Our hope is not in any mayor, governor, or president. Our hope is in the God who will make every ruler, president, prime minister, dictator, and head of state sing his praise.
Why will they give thanks? “For they have heard the words of your mouth.” The Lord will not have to send cataclysmic wrath to make kings sing his praises. All he has to do is speak. This is the divine power of sacred scripture. Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
- Let the government argue partisan politics.
- Let the church proclaim the word of Christ.
When the last election has taken place, God will have the last word. Isaiah 55:10-11 says, “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
The Kings Will Sing Praise for God’s Ways. Kings will sing praise because God is great and good.
The Lord is Great. Verse 5 says, “And they shall sing of the ways of the Lord.” As kings sit on their thrones, musicians play and sing for them. The day is coming when the kings shall sing of the ways of the Lord. Charles Spurgeon said, “Here is a double wonder – kings in God’s ways, and kings singing there.” They will sing of God’s ways “for great is the glory of the Lord.” Kings demand their subjects honor their majesty. The day is coming when the kings will acknowledge their glory is nothing but the glory of God is great!
Philippians 2:9-11 says, “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that 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.”
The Lord is Good. Verse 6 explains the ways of the Lord: “For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly.” The Lord is high and lifted up. Psalm 113:5-6 asks, “Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?” Yet the glory of the Lord is revealed in surprising ways: “He regards the lowly.” When men are promoted, they disassociate from those who they deem not to be on their level. We are not on God’s level! Yet he cares for us and meets our needs.
Warren Wiersbe wrote: “Jehovah is the Highest of the high and the Greatest of the Great, but He is also willing to become the Lowest of the low and stoop down to meet our needs.” However, God “knows the haughty from afar.” God has no fellowship with those who think they are more than what they are. However, in his sovereign grace, God closes the gap between himself and the lowly. God humbled himself to save you. Will you humble yourself to be saved?
Give Thanks for What the Lord is Doing.
As you give thanks for What God has done in the past and will do in the future, give thanks for what God is doing right now. What is the Lord doing?
The Lord is Watching over You. Verse 7 states two ways God watches over us.
God preserves. Verse 7 says, “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life.” “Trouble” is “a tight place.” It is the experience of danger, distress, or difficulty. David’s trouble is not specified. It may be caused by his enemies. The focus is on the severity of his trouble, not the nature of it. In Psalm 23:4, David walks through the valley of the shadow of death. Here he walks “in the midst of trouble.” He was stuck, squeezed, and surrounded by trouble that should have taken him out. He survived because God preserved his life. How have you survived your troubles? God kept you when you couldn’t keep yourself. Psalm 145:20 says, “The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.”
God delivers. Verse 7 says, “You stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.” David’s troubles were caused by his “enemies.” In their wrath, they sought to take him down and take him out. They would have succeeded, but the Lord stretched out his hand against the wrath of David’s enemies. This is an anthropomorphism that describes God’s sovereign power and authority. God’s “hand” describes God’s power. His outstretched hand is his power at work on full display. His right hand delivers from the plots and plans of the enemy.
- His creating hands formed you in your mother’s womb.
- His nailed-pierced hands redeemed you at the cross.
- His right hand will deliver you from the wrath of your enemies.
W. Graham Scroggie wrote: “Deliverance may come to us in any one of three ways: in, through, or from trouble; and does it matter which, so long as there is deliverance?
The Lord is Working for You. Verse 8 says, “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”
Trust God to fulfill his purpose for you. Verse 8 begins with a blessed assurance: “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me.”
- God has a purpose for your life.
- God will fulfill his purpose for your life.
Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” God will do it. God must do it! David says, “Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.” David’s confidence was rooted in God’s character. The Lord’s covenant love never ends, fails, or changes. You can always count on God! Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Ask God to fulfill his purpose for you. Psalm 138 ends with a prayer request. It is the only petition in this psalm: “Do not forsake the work of your hands.” The verse begins with certainty. It concludes with supplication. The beginning and conclusion of the verse do not contradict each other. G. Graham Scroggiewrote: “What we have received from God is our warrant for asking for more.” David’s plea was not just for himself. It is for all who trust in the Lord. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which god prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” The late Queen Elizabeth once prayed, “Look upon the wounds of Thine hands, and forsake not the work of Thine hands.”
- He will not save you and then leave you.
- He will not receive you and then forsake you.
- He will not convert and then desert you.
- He will not adopt you and then abandon you.
- He will not lift you up and then let you down.
Philippians 1:6 says, “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.”