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Daily Devotion: January 8, 2020

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Psalm 138:2-3  "I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.  (3)  In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul."

Again, we see the resolve of David in making the determination that He would worship toward the holy temple of God. He did not say that he would praise and worship God when things were going his way. He did not say that he would worship God IF God first met a condition. His determination was in every thing, he would give praise and his heart would be set in the position to worship God. No matter where his physical presence may be, his heart would be turned toward the holy temple of God.

In verse three, we see David making a declaration concerning God. We have seen in other Psalms that David was set to worship God for the very fact that God is good and His mercy endures forever. In this verse, David is acknowledging God had heard his cry and had answered him. God had given him inner strength to face whatever situation he might have to face. He acknowledged that he, David, had cried unto the Lord. As a shepherd, no doubt he had cried unto the Lord. As a husband, he had cried unto the Lord. As a father, he had cried unto the Lord. As a warrior, he had cried unto the Lord. As a king, he had cried unto the Lord. Can we see a pattern being established in David? To use his own words, David's eyes were lifted unto the hills from whence came His help. His help came from the Lord.

Can we see a pattern for our own lives? Paul prayed that the Ephesians would be strengthened with all might in the inner man. That is our need today. That strength comes from the Lord. We are to be resolved to praise the Lord. We are to be resolved to worship the Lord. But the truth of the matter is that we cannot do either of those things, unless we are striving to be in the will of God. It all comes down to the matter of our hearts. In another place, David said, "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise." That is found in Psalm 57:7. May our hearts be in a fixed position to be stayed upon the Lord.

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