Psalm 138:1-8

Gratitude is the sentiment that fills the heart of the man who is faithfully following and serving the Lord.  No matter what our position and circumstance, God’s faithfulness and loving kindness are always realities that should fill our hearts with praise and thanksgiving for all that He has done and all that He is.  There will be times when our circumstances are not conducive to seeing God’s love and faithfulness.  These are the times when we must focus on the Word of God and all that we know to be true concerning God so that we do not allow gratitude and praise to be replaced by bitterness, doubt, fear and complaint.  Thanksgiving to God is like a salve to our souls that heals our hurts and restores the health of our worship.

GOD HEARS THE PRAYERS OF THE NEEDY: God does not have any needs.  He is complete within Himself.  We, on the other hand, are far from being complete in ourselves.  We face many needs in our lives that require the help of the Lord.  It is a tremendous blessing that should fill our hearts with gratitude to know that God hears our prayers and is attentive to our needs.  God’s name is lifted up high above the circumstances of our lives so He is always able to see our situation and knows exactly what would be best.  The best in light of eternity is not always what we desire or think we need, but since God is the One who is lifted up; He is the only One who can determine what truly is best.

GOD HUMBLES THE HEARTS OF THE PROUD: It does not matter what position we hold before men, God is over all of us.  Kings and peasants are all under the sovereign rule of God.  Those who consider themselves to be superior are simply comparing themselves to other men but they forget their place before God.  God delights is humbling the exalted and exalting the humble.  The proud may receive the praise of men and be satisfied with that but the humble man will gratefully worship at the feet of God and will receive eternal rewards.


GOD HELPS THE WAY OF THE FAITHFUL: The faithful man who seeks to serve the Lord on this sinful world will often find himself in dangerous and undesirable circumstances.  They will not need to face these problems alone.  In fact they can face this with thanksgiving in their hearts because God is always available to help the faithful when they cry out to Him.  He will not always relieve or change the circumstances, but He will provide the strength that is needed to withstand the problems that arise.  We must always be grateful to the Lord because we never face any problem in our life alone.

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