Psalm 138:1-3 Praise the Lord
1 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.
3 When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted. Psalms 138:1-3(NIV)
On one occasion in my life when I struggled from oppression coupled with depression, I found myself unable to bring myself to attend Sunday morning worship service, because I knew how prone I would have been to sit and cry through the service. But my grief didn’t prevent me from worshiping my God, who I knew loved me. I armed myself with my Scripture song tapes, songbooks, and my Bible, and went to a quiet spot beside the lake in the state park near my home. I cried through one Scripture song after another, and looked up the Bible verses many of them represented. As I sang these songs, most of which sang God’s praises, God began to speak to my spirit, lifting me above my circumstances. I left the park with tear streaked cheeks, but with eyes that shone with the joy of the Lord.
As I read the third verse in the above passage, I was reminded of that morning so long ago, and of other similar times, when I called and He answered me. He made me bold and stouthearted.
Praise the Lord! It will do your heart good.
Copyright © 2008 by Janice Green
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
