“My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your steadfast love is great above the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let Your glory be over all the earth! That Your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by Your right hand and answer me!” Psalm 108:1-6
Devotional Thought For The Day
Although this psalm was written at a time of personal and national peril, the psalmist begins by praising and thanking God, principally for His steadfast love and faithfulness. This is how children of God should begin their deep and heartfelt prayers to God in the midst of danger and tragedy – with assertions of faith and trust in God, praising Him for Who He truly is. We should do this regardless of what our eyes see, what we are experiencing, and how desperate our circumstances appear to be to human reason. If we truly believe in God, trust His love and His complete power over all things, then we will never truly fear – though we may be afraid of present threats, of pain and suffering, and distraught over what is present and directly in front of us, we know that ultimately all will be well for us – we will be delivered and vindicated. So the psalmist prays for deliverance and salvation – but does so in full assurance that God’s “beloved ones” remain at all times loved by God.
The psalmist begins with an observation of his own faith and trust in God: “My heart is steadfast.” This is a remarkable blessing, for one of the worst aspects of our sinful nature and our life in this fallen world is the turmoil we often feel in our hearts and minds. That the psalmist did not mean to say that he had no fears is clear from the rest of the psalm – as he cried out to God for help. The best that we can hope for in this life is that God’s love, His promises, His faithfulness, and His gracious support will strengthen our faith and trust in Him so that even in the midst of our heart’s trepidation we remain fastened to reality – so that we never despair of God’s goodness, mercy, love, and His promises to deliver and save us. It is this steadfastness of heart that enables us to stand our ground in the face of all threats and dangers; without this courage born of faith people capitulate, begin making concessions and attempt to get a truce, or flee altogether filled with terror and uncertainty. To do this when confronted by evil is a horrible thing, and living with it afterwards is difficult. Think of Peter’s denying that he knew Jesus.
We too have times of peril and danger, when we must live with threats and discomforting dynamics. The one who denies that the world is a dangerous place is foolish, and such bravado portends disaster. It is only the steadfastness of heart given by God, through His Words and promises, His revelation of Himself in Holy Scripture, and the faith which His own powerful Word effects in our hearts and minds that enables us to see things as they truly are and yet to stand our ground undaunted, to continue proclaiming the glory of God’s love and salvation in the face of all that God’s enemies inflict upon us. While this spiritual warfare often occurs principally in our hearts and minds, the time may be coming when it will be quite physical. Let us pray that God prepare us even now to have a warrior’s courage and mentality so we remain steadfast no matter what we must face.
In the meantime, let us join with the psalmist in praising and thanking God! Let us begin at the dawn! Let us praise God among all peoples, and all nations! Let us acknowledge that His steadfast love and faithfulness fills all of creation, the entire universe! Let us pray God to reveal His exaltedness and glory above all the heavens and the earth! We know that He has delivered and saved us, His “beloved ones,” for His eternal heavenly kingdom; we also pray for His deliverance from our temporary earthly woes and perils. As the psalmist subsequently acknowledges, nothing goes well without God’s blessings. We know this as well, and so we pray, and praise, and continue to humbly trust God with true and genuine faith.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, You know the fearful wrath and wretched evil of Your enemies, those who also target and seek to destroy Your beloved ones. Preserve us and save us from their plans. Keep us mindful at all times of Your steadfast love and Your power to deliver us. Keep our hearts steadfast. Thank You for the ultimate deliverance and salvation that You have assured to us in Your eternal heavenly kingdom. May this be enough to keep us fearless and valiant in all our earthly strife. Amen.