August 22, 2017
I JUST WANT TO CURL UP IN BED AND PULL THE COVERS OVER MY HEAD!
Psalm 138
Meredith Hall
Central Truth
God loves you, and He is with you in and through everything!
Key Verse | Psalm 138:7
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.
(Psalm 138:7)
Psalm 138
Give Thanks to the LORD
Of David.
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 above all things
your name and your word.
1
138:2
Or you have exalted your word above all your name
3
On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.
2
138:3
Hebrew you made me bold in my soul with strength
4
All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O LORD,
for they have heard the words of your mouth,
5
and 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 knows from afar.
7
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.
8
The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.
Dive Deeper | Psalm 138
Today, as I was reading through Facebook posts, my heart grew weary and troubled. In one post, a friend was asking for prayers for a little boy who drowned and was on life support. Another post revealed the battle between Christians about who they should vote for in the presidential election. Yet another showed men pulling a baby and mother out from under the bombed walls in Syria. As tears filled my eyes, I shut off the app and bowed my head in exhaustion.
Then my own life struggles came flooding in. My oldest son was home from school suffering a concussion from football. My other son was figuring out how to navigate the hardships of junior high, with learning differences making it even harder. The list of woes in my head and heart were enough to make me want to curl up in bed and pull the covers up over my head where it's "safest."
But Psalm 138 pulled me into a sweet place with my Savior. Who He is and how He loves me reminded me that He would be there at every moment. He is steadfast, faithful, and above everything. He hears every word from our mouths, answers us, and gives us His strength. He preserves us in hard times and stretches out His right hand and delivers us!
In Scripture, the Lord’s right hand represents His protection and provision (Exodus 15:6; Isaiah 41:10). And who is at God’s right hand to provide salvation and protection? Jesus. He is our strength and our salvation. He delivers us from our enemies. Psalm 138:8 gives us sweet assurance that God will fulfill His purpose for us because His steadfast love for us endures forever!
The turmoil of my day didn’t change, but the Lord's steadfast love never ceases, and His mercies are new every morning! What did change was my focus. I stopped focusing on my anxieties and started looking up at the God who loves me. I started walking through my day with God’s mighty right hand around me, and my perspective changed from heavy exhaustion to the words in verse 1, “I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart . . . .”
Discussion Questions
1. What are the attributes of God's character in this passage? Do you believe these attributes about God to be true? Keep in mind that knowing and believing are two different things.
2. What curve balls or tough circumstances do you face right now? Are you letting your circumstances dictate your attitude or perspective in life? Are you anxious, grumpy, exhausted, or depressed? What attitude or perspective do you see displayed in Psalm 138?
3. Do you believe that God loves you? Do you believe He cares about what you're going through and how you feel? Do you believe He is with you, holding you in His mighty right hand, protecting you against the enemy?
4. Get out a journal or some note cards or sticky notes, and list everything you can think of to praise God about. Do this every morning before your feet hit the floor and every night before you go to bed. It will change your perspective.