Psalm 138

How can I move beyond the distraction of the moment, and give thanks to God with my whole heart? Only by the Spirit of God. Please come to my aid, O Lord!

The God of Israel is far above other gods. There is only one true and living God, but there are many idols in this world. There are also so many people of great or pretended importance that demand our ultimate allegiance. Not only that, but the true God has given us many gifts, and we have too often placed those gifts above the Giver, as if the gifts were our gods.

But by the Spirit of God, I am reminded today that the Lord is my God. He made me. He has saved me from hell through His Son, Jesus. No one else could have accomplished that great work. And He is keeping me now, and redirecting my attention away from all other gods, and toward Him alone. Thank you, Lord!

Polytheism is exhausting. Knowing the one true God as my Father, and finding peace with Him through Jesus is enlivening.

I will sing to Him. I will direct my attention toward His holy temple in heaven, and I will gather with those who trust His Word and who call upon His Name on earth, for we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

I really do feel better. But even if my feelings are not where they might be at any given moment, even if I am weighed down by sickness, loneliness, and grief, God will keep me forever. He will not despise me in my weakness, for I am His child in Jesus Christ. He is able to increase my strength of soul when I call upon Him. Trust in His love even when you cannot feel it.

Turn your attention now toward the fulfillment of all of the Lord's good purposes. The Lord opposes the proud, but He gives grace to the humble. Have you been brought low? Consider the glory of the Lord and the wonder of the new creation when all people will bow down before Him. They will give Him thanks; they will hear His Word gladly; and they will sing of the great things that the Lord has done.

However low you may be at the moment, the Lord has kept you going. He preserved the life of His righteous Son, Jesus, for the awful day of the cross. Now we glory in that day because of all that Christ has won for us. And we glory in His resurrection, for in Him we see our own future. The Lord will deliver us from misery and death.

The Lord will fulfill all His purposes for me. He will not forsake me. I am His workmanship, and so are you. His steadfast love endures forever.

There. That's much better. We better get going. We have work to do.