Praising God In The Tough Times – Psalms 138

Life is just tough at times!

It can be filled with tough circumstances to cross, tough battles to beat, tough problems to pan out, tough choices to choose, tough people to persuade, tough struggles to solve, tough finances to find, and tough work to work through. Let’s face it, life is tough! It’s not for the light-hearted that’s for sure. So, what kind of toughness is life asking you to deal with at this moment of time?

Lately, I have been asked to walk through at least a dozen different tough things, all at one time. I could probably think of a few more than a dozen, if I really put my mind to thinking. One thing I have learned through my life, though, when going through the tough stuff of life, I don’t have to do it alone. Others are usually around to help me. Be it family, friends, co-workers, neighbors or even a stranger – usually someone is there to help me. But the One who helps me the most of all, is my God! God is always with me, through the good times and the bad times. He is especially present during the tough stuff. He promises to “never leave nor forsake” me, and thus far, in my life, He has totally kept that promise. So I know God will always be there to help me in and through the tough times of my life.

Just the other day, as I was curled up on the sofa, with a cup of tea in my hands, I was thinking about some of those tough times of late. I had a really big decision to make. I had a financial deadline to meet. I had some people that I wanted to help but didn’t know how I could possibly help them. I had a burden laying heavy on my heart that I turned into a prayer request from my lips to God’s listening ears. I had a lot of things to take care of that day, plenty of errands to run, places to go and people to see, so I knew I needed lots of energy for the day if I had any hope at all of accomplishing everything on my “to do” list. But first, I just needed some alone time with my God. I picked up my Bible and nestled into the cushions on the sofa for a good read. My reading that morning took me to Psalms 138. Here’s a portion of what I read.

“I will praise You with my whole heart; before the gods I will sing praises to You. I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name. For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name. In the day I cried out, You answered me and made me bold with strength in my soul. . . Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me. The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever. . . ” Psalms 138:1-8 (NKJV)

I got so excited as I read God’s word. It seemed like the words on the page were just jumping right out at me, hoping that I would take notice of them. Notice them, I did. Those words were just what I needed to read on this particular morning. For a few moments, I was able to put some tough stuff aside, and think about what I had just read. In fact, I read it again. And again. I came away with seven tidbits of encouragement from my God that morning. You see, God was showing me exactly what He wanted to do for me that day, as together we would deal with my tough stuff of life.

God showing me those seven tidbits, started with me crying out to God. Like the Psalmist, “when I cried out, You answered me.” God heard my cries for help in dealing with all the tough things in my life at the time. And in hearing me, He was ready to help me. So, here’s the seven tidbits of help from my God – taken from my Bible reading as I sat curled up on the sofa on this particular morning.

1. He is ready to answer me! I know that sounds really simple; it is! God answers me when I talk with Him. When I include Him on the talks through my tough stuff, He listens, He hears and He answers. That’s because He is concerned about me, concerned about what I am going through and He’s concerned about how I am going to handle each and every situation.
2. He is ready to embolden (encourage) me with strength. Yes, I definitely needed strength on this particular day. My God knew that. He knows everything about me. I know, boy did I ever know, that there would be no way I was getting through this day in my own strength. I simply would not make it on my own. And so, my God offers to give me a portion of His strength. Whew, just the thought of His strength makes me feel stronger!
3. He is ready to revive my fainting, tired soul. I think that I am going to need that too. Throughout this crazy day, I can count on my God to revive my very soul, to speak His peace into it so that I don’t grow tired and faint-hearted. He will revive me as I take refuge in Him.
4. He is ready to stretch forth His powerful right hand and deal with my enemies. Wow! I am really glad that my God never leaves me alone with my enemies, or else….! Well, who knows what would happen to me. That’s also encouraging to me, because while I might not know how best to handle my enemies that I could encounter today, my God knows just what to do. I think I’ll leave that battle to Him!
5. He is ready to save me with His right hand. That same powerful right hand that He uses to fight my enemies and my battles for me, is the same powerful right hand that He uses to save me, to rescue me, to deliver me from harm. My God is the most powerful weapon and the most powerful deliverer all in one. I think I will tap into His power a little more.
6. He is ready to protect all that concerns me. So, all those things that I tend to worry about, be fearful over, and seek to control and fix on my own, He is concerned about those things and seeks to protect them. So all my family and friends who I am concerned about, God seeks to protect them too. What concerns me, concerns my God! And what needs protection, He will protect. What a comforting thought that is.
7. He is ready to show me that His mercy, His loving-kindness endures forever. He has shown me that so many other times in my life, but I forget. I am so glad that He wants to remind me time and time again.

I look over those 7 tidbits of help and I am encouraged! Greatly encouraged! Because I realize, that my God has got me covered. He will be with me; He stands ready to help me in and through whatever tough time I face in any given day.

When the Psalmist David realized that same truth, do you know what He did?

The Psalmist David began to praise His God. David praised with his whole heart, before others, and towards God’s holy temple; David praised His God. He praised His name, His lovingkindness, His truth and His Word. David praised His God.

And in that moment of truth, as God’s lesson that morning worked its way from my head down to my heart, I too wanted to praise my God. I praised His name, His lovingkindness, His truth and His Word. But I also praised Him for answering my prayer and reminding me once again, that He, my powerful, almighty God would carry me through another tough day. Together, we would do the tough stuff. And at the end of the day, I would be able to praise Him all over again. I “shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord.”