Psalm 108 New International
Version
Psalm 108
A song. A psalm
of David.
1 My heart, O God, is steadfast;
2 Awake, harp and lyre!
3 I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
4 For great is your love, higher than the heavens;
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
6 Save us and help us with your right hand,
7 God has spoken from his sanctuary:
and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.
8 Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine;
Judah is my scepter.
9 Moab is my washbasin,
over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
10 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
11 Is it not you, God, you who have rejected us
12 Give us aid against the enemy,
13 With God we will gain the victory,
2 Awake, harp and lyre!
3 I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
4 For great is your love, higher than the heavens;
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
6 Save us and help us with your right hand,
7 God has spoken from his sanctuary:
and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.
8 Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine;
Judah is my scepter.
9 Moab is my washbasin,
over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
10 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
11 Is it not you, God, you who have rejected us
12 Give us aid against the enemy,
13 With God we will gain the victory,
An Unshaken Heart Psalm
108:1–13
Life has many unpredictable events. Sudden illnesses, creeping debts, broken relationships and many other problems. After our problems are solved, we thank God. But this is not faith. David faithfully worshipped God.
Psalm 108:1 ESV
[1] My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being!
David was not king yet. He was not in a palace, but he said these words while being hunted by King Saul. David made a conscious decision to praise God. This was his expression of faith. David knew God's character and was confident in his relationship with God, and he trusted God.
Just like a plane going through turbulence, the flight attendants and pilot feel the plane shaking but they know they can get through the turbulence. This is why they do not panic.
David also remembers that God is sovereign over all things.
Psalm 108:7-9 ESV
[7] God has promised in his holiness: “With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out the Valley of Succoth. [8] Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter. [9] Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I cast my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
God controls all things, but we might not know how everything fits together. We might panic or lose hope because we cannot see how our struggles will be used for God's greater purpose. God sees the whole picture whereas we only see a small part of the puzzle.
Because God sees the whole picture, we can be confident that God knows what is happening and will intervene and not have to rely on people.
Psalm 108:10-13 ESV
[10] Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? [11] Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go out, O God, with our armies. [12] Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! [13] With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.
Only God can rescue us. We should not put our faith in people. God will help us but this needs courage from us as we continue.
Often we pray for a little while and then spend the rest of our time worrying. We need to experience our faith and this happens when we practice our faith. Real faith is not avoiding the storm but going through it. We continue and do our best while walking with God.
Do you put your trust in your own ability, your savings or someone else? When problems arise, who do you go to for help first? Or do you pray first?
David knew one important truth about God. Although circumstances change, God never changes. Storms will come and how we face them are our choices. We can panic and seek help from others, or we can be like David and praise God for who God is.
