There is SO much to LOVE in Psalm 138! Here is the entire Psalm:
1 I will confess and praise You [O God] with my whole heart; before the gods will I sing praises to You. 2 I will worship toward Your holy temple and praise Your name for Your loving-kindness and for Your truth and faithfulness; for You have exalted above all else Your name and Your word and You have magnified Your word above all Your name! 3 In the day when I called, You answered me; and You strengthened me with strength (might and inflexibility to temptation) in my inner self. 4 All the kings of the land shall give You credit and praise You, O Lord, for they have heard of the promises of Your mouth [which were fulfilled]. 5 Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the Lord and joyfully celebrate His mighty acts, for great is the glory of the Lord. 6 For though the Lord is high, yet has He respect to the lowly [bringing them into fellowship with Him]; but the proud and haughty He knows and recognizes [only] at a distance. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me. 8 The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, endure forever—forsake not the works of Your own hands.
The Hebrew word for "praise" in verse 1 most certainly includes the idea of confession, or acknowledging and proclaiming WHO HE IS! It also includes and involves the idea of praise, thanksgiving and worship, for WHO HE IS and for WHAT HE HAS DONE! We are to make known His mighty acts to the world so that they, too, can call on the Name of the LORD to be saved! In all of our praising and proclaiming, we cannot lose sight of the MOST important verse in this entire Psalm! Verse 2 bears repeating here:
2 I will worship toward Your holy temple and praise Your name for Your loving-kindness and for Your truth and faithfulness; for You have exalted above all else Your name and Your word and You have magnified Your word above all Your name!
This verse is so completely 'logical' when we understand that it is the WORD of GOD that gives the NAME all of the authority and power of HEAVEN! His NAME is above ANY and EVERY other name that has ever been named! And YOU and I, as born again believers, have been given HIS Name to exercise HIS authority over every evil work and worker of darkness as they continue to harass and trouble people, keeping believers ignorant of God's Word, making them unbelieving believers and distracting unbelievers with anything and everything that will keep them from recognizing their desperate need for the SAVIOR! And the most powerful promise to us in this Psalm is found in verse 8!
8 The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, endure forever—forsake not the works of Your own hands.
From heaven You can hear
I know You’re drawing near
As I worship
Held within Your love
The wind and waves will come
But I will stay here
I lift my hands to heaven
Here my heart surrendered
I tell my soul again
You are Lord of all
Though the seas are raging
You will speak and tame them
In You I find my rest
You are in control
Through valleys I will
trust
Your Spirit is enough to keep me walking
You guide my every step
Speak life to me again
Lord I need You
I will trust in only You
No one can add to Your perfection
You’re the beginning and the end
More than I can comprehend
There is no one like You
No one
No one
No one Jesus
Shalom in Him!
