Strength for Difficult Times
STRENGTH FOR DIFFICULT TIMES
Psalm 138:1-8 (ESV)
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. 3 On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased. 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.
In our life’s journeys, the Lord, in His providential care, allows us to go through all kinds of experiences. There are times when we see God’s awesome power work through us, and we enjoy great victories. We often consider those times as our most cherished mountaintop experiences. But then, there are also times when we go through difficult valleys where we don’t feel God’s presence at all, and we suffer great defeats. While we are in this broken world, even for us who are in Christ Jesus, I’m sure we have gone through so many ups and downs in life.
Because of this reality, many of us have special appreciation for the book of Psalms. When you go through the different chapters of the book, you can easily identify with the experiences and raw emotions of the Psalmists who sometimes have expressed their sadness or sometimes their gladness. Then, there were also times when they cried for their losses and celebrated their triumphs. So, what are some of your favorite Psalms? For me, several Psalms would stand out - Psalms 1, 23, 34, 46, 91, 100, and 121.
This morning, I would like us to go through a Psalm that is not so familiar, but I know it can be a great encouragement to us, especially if we are going through difficult times. Personally, with some of the things I have gone through lately, the Lord knew that I needed the words from this passage. Some Bible scholars believe that King David wrote this Psalm during the earlier part of His reign over Israel when the neighboring nations were opposed to the idea of a united Israel. The Philistines, Jebusites, and the Moabites wanted a divided Israel and a weak leader, but God’s plan was to make His people mighty under David’s leadership. Obviously, this was one of King David’s very difficult times. Verse 7 sets the context for the entire chapter - “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.”
What do you often do when you find yourself in the midst of troubles? How do you gain strength during your most difficult times? As I try to answer these critical questions, I also would like to give attention to the fact that God allowed this Psalm to come after Psalm 137. I believe this truth sets up our passage this morning. Do you know why? Here is the setting for Psalm 137:
Psalm 137:1-4 (ESV) 1 By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. 2 On the willows there we hung up our lyres. 3 For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” 4 How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land?
These words portray the emotional struggle of the Jews who lived in Babylon during their captivity. They literally lost the joy to play instruments and sing; they were so lonely in that foreign land that they felt they didn’t have any reason to sing and celebrate. Talking about a miserable life, these Jews have really hit rock bottom. You know, it is possible that there are some who feel this way today. But, I trust that Psalm 138 can help us learn how to gain strength during our most difficult times. Allow me to show you what David did to gain strength:
I HE PRAISED THE LORD (vv. 1-3)
As you read the first three verses, David demonstrates a great response in his difficult times. Instead of indulging in careless complaints, self-pity, or unnecessary grumbling towards the Lord, he decided to praise and thank God. Evidently, this kind of response was common among great Bible heroes:
A. Job 1:20-21 (Job) 20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”
These two verses describe what Job did after hearing that he lost all his riches and all his ten children in one day. Notice, he humbled himself before the Lord and offered Him great praise.
B. Acts 16:23-25 (Paul and Silas) 23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,
When strong oppositions met the witness of Paul and Silas in Philippi, they ended up being severely flogged and thrown into prison. Yet, when everything settled in jail, both missionaries turned their prison cell into a sacred place of worship.
What do you end up doing when you are going through some difficult times? For David, Job, Paul, and Silas, worshiping the Lord is more worthwhile. Now, if we carefully examine the praise that David offered, you would realize that it was a God-honoring praise. Here are some specific descriptions of it:
A. It Was Wholehearted – “with my whole heart” (v.1a)
David’s praise was not careless and half-hearted. He poured his whole heart whenever he worshipped the Lord.
B. It Was Bold – “before the gods I sing your praise” (v.1b)
The words “before the gods” could be a direct reference to either the “kings of the earth,” or the “false gods” of the pagans. David was never embarrassed about his worship of God. He was willing to worship Him even when he was in the midst of kings or pagan worshippers.
C. It Was Knowledgeable – “give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness.” (v. 2)
Since the object of David’s worship is our great God, it definitely helps us to recall some of His awesome characteristics. In our text, David praises God because of His steadfast love and faithfulness. Both attributes magnify the fact that God is dependable and worthy of our trust.
D. It Was Transformative – “On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.” (v.3)
When our worship possessed the first three descriptions, chances are God will show up. And once His presence and power are present, transformation or change is inevitable. King David declares that his worship strengthened his soul. Do we experience the same empowerment when we worship? If not, perhaps, it would be helpful if we reevaluate our worship to see to it that we incorporate some of the characteristics that David mentioned in our text.
II HE PROMOTED THE LORD (vv. 4-5)
The next activity that we find in the text that helped David gain strength in difficult times is embedded in these words – “All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O LORD, for they have heard the words of your mouth, and they shall sing of the ways of the LORD, for great is the glory of the LORD.”
As King David drew himself close to the Lord during his difficult times, he was also conscious that his amazing encounters with the Lord could result in him establishing a testimony to other mighty and influential people like the kings of the world. In a way, he definitely was excited about the possibility that in the future, this powerful class of people will also praise and worship the Lord.
You might be wondering why David focused on the kings instead of everyone? Well, the simplest explanations about this truth could be two-fold:
A. They are David’s sphere of influence.
Since David belonged to this very special group of people, he also has the potential to effectively influence them for the Lord. It has been said that during ancient times, kings were always on the lookout of other kings who are very successful because they want to forge alliances with them. We find great examples of these potential alliances:
2 Samuel 5:11-12 (With Hiram, the King of Tyre) 11 And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also carpenters and masons who built David a house. 12 And David knew that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.
2 Samuel 8:9-10 (With Toi, King of Hamath) 9 When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer, 10 Toi sent his son Joram to King David, to ask about his health and to bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Hadadezer had often been at war with Toi. And Joram brought with him articles of silver, of gold, and of bronze.
B. They have the scope of influence.
The next truth is found on the scope of influence that kings have. Imagine the impact that a king can have over his nation or kingdom once he surrenders his heart to the Lord. No wonder, even the apostle Paul mentioned the necessity of praying for the ruling kings.
1 Timothy 2:1-4 (ESV) 1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Without a doubt, we need to be praying for the salvation of governing authorities and people who are high in position because they could affect more people for Jesus Christ.
Well, for King David, it really makes a lot of sense to envision that other kings would one day declare God’s praises also, because this would ultimately lead to the greater glory to God. Evidently, David was conscious about this truth when he said in the last part of verse 5 – “they shall sing of the ways of the LORD, for great is the glory of the LORD.”
How about us? Who gets impacted or inspired because of our life and commitment to God? Let’s not forget that God wants to continually use us to affect the people around us.
III HE PLANTED HIMSELF IN THE LORD (vv. 6-8)
Lastly, King David ends this Psalm by recalling what the Lord has amazingly done for him. Listen to these words – “For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar. 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. The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”
Despite the difficult circumstances that David was going through, he was able to plant himself in his faith to the Lord because of God’s three extraordinary blessings. Allow me to enumerate them to you:
1. God was Gracious to David.
In this first blessing, David saw himself as “lowly,” who doesn’t deserve the special attention he received from the LORD, whom he referred to as “high” or “Superior.” Of course, knowing how he started out as a shepherd boy, he definitely acknowledges here that it was all the Lord’s grace that he became a king. I love how Dr. James Draper elaborated this truth and applied it to our salvation experience.
“God does not love you because you're important. You're important because God loves you! There is nothing in you to make God love you. There is nothing in you to require God to love you. In our humanistic society we want to think that there are inherently worthwhile and valuable qualities about every individual, but the truth is—"all have sinned and come short of the glory of God," and "all of our righteousness are as filthy rags" in the sight of God.”
Like David, there was really nothing special about any one of us who had been saved by the Lord Jesus. He saved us because He chose to be gracious to us.
2. God Preserved and Delivered David.
The second blessing that David highlights is how God has preserved and delivered him from the hands of his enemies – “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.”
If you examine these words, the deliverance was really remarkable because he was right in the midst of trouble. He literally was going through a dangerous path, and then, the Lord intervened and helped him. Can you remember specific times in your life when you experienced God special protection? Did this experience help in drawing you closer to God? For David, this preservation or deliverance led to greater praise and confidence in Him.
One of the verses on God’s protection that I really remind myself always is found in Isaiah 43:2 (ESV) 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
As we go through this dark and dangerous world, we have so many promises like this in Isaiah 43:2. These promises can take away our fears in life. It is great to know that our God promises to always protect us.
3. God Has a Purpose For David’s Life.
Lastly, David talks about his confidence that God will fulfill His purpose in his life. He never loses sight that though he was constantly surrounded with lots of enemies and troubles, God’s purpose for his life will still come to pass. Isn’t it true that we, as believers today, do have the same assurance? Listen to Paul’s words in Philippians 1:6 (ESV): 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
This assurance is really comforting that with regards to God’s work in our lives, He will never change His mind about it; He will surely carry it to completion.
Going through Psalm 138:1-8, I know that we, too, are living today in very difficult times. With all the uncertainties related to this Global Pandemic and all the civil unrest around us, it is so easy for us to be fearful about so many things. Allow me to challenge you to also do the same things that David did to gain the strength he needed in difficult times. Let’s continue to praise the Lord, promote the Lord, and plant ourselves in the Lord. By doing these actions, we will be able to keep our eyes on the Lord and receive sufficient strength every day, whatever is happening in our lives.
-Dr. Jeremiah Lepasana