Psalm 138

¹ I will praise you, 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 unfailing love and your faithfulness,
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
that it surpasses your fame.
³ When I called, you answered me;
you greatly emboldened me.

⁴ May all the kings of the earth praise you, LORD,
when they hear what you have decreed.
⁵ May they sing of the ways of the LORD,
for the glory of the LORD is great.

⁶ Though the LORD is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly,
but he takes notice of the proud from afar.
⁷ Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;
with your right hand you save me.
⁸ The LORD will vindicate me;
your love, LORD, endures forever—
do not abandon the works of your hands.

Questions to consider:

• To what "gods" do you think the psalmist refers?
• What solemn decree do you think the psalmist is talking about?
• What does it mean for the Lord to stretch out his hand against the anger of the writer's foes?
  
• Why do you think it is important to the psalmist that the Lord vindicates him?
• How (or does it?) does this psalm respond to the one before it?
  

Possibilities for prayer:

Though the LORD is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly,
but he takes notice of the proud from afar.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life.

These verses seem particularly profound to me. We've established over the course of this week the ways in which God is great, powerful, and exalted. But even given those characteristics, God is not too big to notice even the little things that are going on in our lives. It's always amazed me the way that God responds to my prayers, even though, in the grand scheme of the epic universe, my concerns are generally pretty minor. The psalmist seems to recognize this as well. God is bigger than we are--SO much bigger--and yet he deigns to acknowledge us. Even, to love us. Take a moment to just think about that. Then, offer up a great big prayer of gratitude and thanksgiving to our great big, wonderful God whose love endures forever.