Good and Perfect

Psalm 138:1–8 (NASB 95)

      1 I will give You thanks with all my heart; I will sing praises to You before the gods. 2 I will bow down toward Your holy temple And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name. 3 On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul.

      4 All the kings of the earth will give thanks to You, O LORD, When they have heard the words of Your mouth. 5 And they will sing of the ways of the LORD, For great is the glory of the LORD. 6 For though the LORD is exalted, Yet He regards the lowly, But the haughty He knows from afar.

      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 accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

Examine / Explain

This psalm of David is one of praise and the relationship between God and people. The prideful will not praise Him for his goodness, nor will they be grateful for His gifts. The humble call on His name and are revived. His lovingkindness is revealed to all, but only some will praise Him before other gods.

How do I apply this to my life?

Every good and perfect gift is from the Father above. I give thanks for seeing gifts for Him. I know there are times when I don’t see them because I am being prideful. I want things to go my way. And yet, I would still call on His name to rescue me because I am uncomfortable. I want Him to manage the pain of life and make the hard things go away. He hears me in my pain, but what am I asking for? The lilies ask for nothing, and yet they grow. God takes care of them. Where is my faith? Where is my gratitude? Where is my purpose? God stretches out His mighty hand against my enemies. Who are my enemies? Those I disagree with? Those who seek to destroy me? Jesus commands me to love my enemies. Jesus did hard things His whole ministry like loving His enemies. They were trying to destroy Him. He also sought God for everything. He knew the gifts that were given every time they came. What am I praying for? Am I looking at everything through the lens of Jesus? What hard things am I avoiding because they are uncomfortable? Whatever happens from here, I want it to bring God glory, praise, and worship.

What is my response?

Father, thank you for your loving kindness, which leads us to repentance. Thank you for good and perfect gifts. Thank you for the callings and purpose in our lives. I pray that we trust in everything so that we can fulfill that purpose and calling. Let us not give up. Give us the strength, wisdom, and will to seek Your face in all things. Let us fail where we need to fail. Let us succeed where we need to succeed. Thank you, Abba. Amen