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
Martin Luther’s contribution to wisdom is that we are both sinners and saints at the same time. The world is not just black and white, either/or, perfect or imperfect, our side or the other. We are all simply living by grace alone, all craving steadfast, unconditional love.
Tradition ascribes this psalm to King David. Now there was a man who knew both sides of life, and this psalm springs from that deeper knowledge of life. Trouble and protection, lowly and haughty, wrath and deliverance—one lives in a complex world that daily stands in the need of grace and a steady foundation of higher ways.
We aren’t entitled. We all sin. Yet grace abounds. That greater gift gives us cheerfulness, praise, and thanksgiving. God’s grace lifts the sinner and humbles the saint. Can we say a good word about humility today? We are all sinners fallen short and grace-filled saints uplifted! Praise be to God!
Prayer
God of the nations of the earth, keep us humble as we live through this day. Increase the strength of our soul to bend us toward love, seeking true justice and giving thanks for your needful grace. Amen.