Psalm 138 (NRSV)
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Verse 1I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise;
Verse 2I 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.
Verse 3On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul.
Verse 4All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth.
Verse 5They shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord.
Verse 6For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly; but the haughty he perceives from far away.
Verse 7Though 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.
Verse 8The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.
Devotion
When it comes to facing life's rough patches, I long simply to escape. My preference would be that God snatch me out of the danger zone and set me down in a safe, tranquil place.
But that is not how God works. God does not remove us from places of sharp pain, vexing temptation or intractable grief. We have no choice but to make our way through them, buoyed up simply by this promise: "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me..."
Mother Teresa's take on this state of affairs is a keeper: "I know God won't give me anything I can't handle. I just wish he didn't trust me so much."
God trusts us so much because God is at work in us so completely-more than we can ever know, in fact. That is why the psalmist confidently confesses: "The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me."
Prayer
When life crashes in upon me, and when anxieties rise up to choke me, calm my spirit. Remind me that You are always ahead of me, behind me, above me, below me. In Jesus' name, Amen.