Prepare
Opening Prayer
Thank God for the day and his Word, and ask him to bless and care for us so that his Word soothes our souls and reveals his love.
Read
Scripture Passage
Psalms 138
A — About
What Is This Passage About?
David praises the Lord's lovingkindness and truth because God hears his people's cries, strengthens their souls, regards the lowly, revives them in trouble, saves them from enemies, completes his work in them, and remains merciful forever.
B — Best Verse
A Verse That Summarizes the Passage
Psalm 138:7
Distilled from the devotional exposition; the speaker did not explicitly name a best verse.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you will revive me. though you will stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand will save me.
The transcript contains no explicit best-verse selection. Verse 7 most directly answers the title's concern and Bryan's application: God revives and saves his lowly people even while they walk through trouble.
C — Called or Christ
C — Called to Do & Christ Connection
In trials, lift your eyes from the immediate situation and fix them on Jesus. Remember that the exalted God knows, loves, and cares for his children; meditate on his goodness, ask him for strength, and find comfort in his fatherly presence.
Devotional Study
Transcript of the devotion. Minor transcription errors may remain.
All right. Well, good evening and welcome to Coffee and Devotions. This is where every day we get together, we get in the God's Word, and we grow in our love for the Lord together. And this year, 2021, we'll make it through all the wisdom literature. Well, thanks so much for joining. I'm sorry if you just watched the last video and things got a little bit messed up. We're here at Synod in Indiana, and So things are going to be a little bit erratic as I try to get people to join me for coffee and devotion in the middle of meetings.
So why don't we go ahead and pray, and we'll read God's Word. Father, we thank you so much for this day, and we thank you for your Word. We pray now that as we read your Word, that you would bless us, and that you would care for us, that your Word would be a balm to our souls, that we might know your love. In Jesus' name, Amen. Alright, why don't we go ahead and turn over to Psalm 138. Psalm 138. A Psalm of David.
I will praise you with my whole heart. Before the gods I will sing praises to you. I will worship toward your holy temple and praise your name. for your loving kindness and your truth, for you have magnified your word above all your name. In the day when I cried out, you answered me and made me bold with strength in my soul. All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord, when they hear the words of your mouth. Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord. Though the Lord is on high, yet he regards the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you will revive me. though you will stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand will save me. The Lord will perfect that which concerns me. Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands."
This is an amazing psalm that comes right after Psalm 137, where the psalmists were in Babylon. They hung up their harps on the trees. They were despondent in their souls, longing for their homeland. And here, they remind themselves that God remembers them. What is this about? This is a psalm about God's goodness and faithfulness to his people.
I will praise you with my whole heart. Before the gods, I will sing praises to you. As they're in this pagan land, as they're in this land full of idolatry, even as David is surrounded by Canaanite kings and people that would want to kill him, I'll praise you. I'll still praise you. I'll praise your name for your loving kindness and your truth, for you have magnified your word above all your name. And the day when I cried out, you answered me and you made me bold with strength in my soul.
See, when we look to God and we praise him, he is a strength in our soul. When we take our eyes off of the current present situation, we remember that he regards us even though he created the universe. He remembers me and He remembers you. He cares for us. That gives us strength. Notice what it says. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you revive me. The Lord is on high. He regards the lowly. Brings our mind back to another psalm, doesn't it? Psalm 23 with the Lord being our shepherd. The Lord loves His people. The Lord cares for His people. The Lord revives our soul. The Lord cares for us.
And we can find comfort in Him. And so I pray tonight as you go to bed and as you, I pray that you would meditate on who God is and His goodness toward His people. That whatever trials and tribulations, struggles you're going through in your life, that you might lift up your eyes, fix your eyes upon Jesus, and that you might know that He is regarded the Lord. that he loves his children as a father loves his children. Let's go to him now.
Father, we thank you that you are our father, willing and able to help us. Though you are the king of the nations, you number the hairs on our heads. Though you sit upon your throne, highly exalted, you bend down your ear to hear us. Lord, we pray that you would embolden our souls, give us strength. Lord, we pray that we would have joy and confidence in you. In Jesus' name, amen. Lord, I pray that the Lord gives you a great night's sleep tonight as you rest in Jesus Christ, and I'll see you tomorrow. Bye.