This last collection of David’s psalms begins with a sincere hymn of thanksgiving and ends with a personal song of trust in the Lord. A grateful hymn of acknowledgment of God’s blessings is always in order for a child of God. Mere praise compared with praise with one’s whole heart is very different. “Worship leaders” can lead hymns and songs, or someone who raises the hymn and sets the pitch and tone can only do that. Wholehearted praise is when we lead our own praise to the Lord, whether it be in a public meeting or in a private setting, in which we sing from within our very being. This kind of praise is not a formality. We are personally responsible to God for what comes from our hearts to Him.
There are a lot of reasons for us to praise the Lord with our whole hearts. He has answered our prayers in ways that are far beyond what we could have ever expected. We praise Him for saving us by His grace and keeping us by His power, for the Holy Spirit dwells within us, revealing Christ to us, and guiding us into all truth. Praise from His people glorifies God. Not only do we praise Him for the many ways He blesses us, but we praise Him for who He is. He is the God of love who had directed that toward us. His truth is available to us. His faithfulness is unfailing.
God’s word is as good and reliable as He is. He is always as good as His word. How good is it when His own people are as good as their word? When something is magnified, it is opened up to careful scrutiny so that each thing observed is made larger for our understanding. The beauty of a plant, a small thing unable to be seen with the human eye, can be seen when it is magnified. Magnifying something allows its glory to be seen in a greater way than a casual glance. God’s word and His ways are always in harmony. When the Lord magnifies His own word above His name, He wants us to see and appreciate it for the value of its truth, its integrity, its meaning, and its application to us.
Praise and worship are closely associated, although they are not the same. Praise necessitates the use of words. Worship often is silent when one is awestruck by the Person they worship. When “all the kings of the earth shall praise Thee,” it will be in a time yet to come. However, even Cyrus, the king, called for the worship of God, but that was done alongside the worship of other gods. No one nor anything is higher than the Lord in any way. Yet, in His gracious way, He holds the humble in high regard. He also discerns the haughtiness of the proud and resists them. God gives needed grace to the humble without expecting them to earn it in any way. The high regard in which He holds them extends to the fact that He says He dwells with the humble, He revives them, His grace is sufficient for them, and He places great value on humble people.
God’s word is highly exalted in that He always keeps it, fulfills the promises in it, and reveals Himself through it – particularly in the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is “The Word,” the expression of God. Answered prayer is a great testimony to kings and gives confidence to those who make intercession for “kings and those in authority.” With the assurance of faith and deliverance from evil, a child of God can walk through times of opposition and difficulty in the assurance that “Thou art with me, Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.” We can have full confidence in God’s promises and His deliverance.
God will complete what He began in us when He saved us. He will strengthen us to accomplish the plans He has for us, and He will execute those plans through us or by any means He chooses. “The Lord will perfect that which doth concern me.” Not only will He accomplish what He wants through the “clay vessels” He chooses, but He will vindicate that which needs to be dealt with and will bring us to maturity in His own time. He does answer our prayers, but we should never take that provision for granted or as something He owes us. It is enough for us to know that His plans and purposes, as well as our plans and purposes, should be the same. He does not forsake the work of His hands, and we should not forsake ours when they are done in fellowship with Him.
PSALM 138 WHOLEHEARTED THANKSGIVING v.1-3. Praise for Strength. “I will praise Thee with my whole heart.” v.4-6. Worship for kings. “All the kings of the earth shall praise Thee.” v.7-8. Assurance of deliverance. “Thou wilt revive me.”