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Day 342

Psalm 138:1a "I will praise You with my whole heart..."

Day 342 – Psalm 138

“I will praise You with my whole heart…” Psalm 138:1a

SUPERSCRIPTION: A Psalm of David.

This superscription identifies David as the author of Psalm 138.

PRAISE AND WORSHIP

Many of David’s psalms were written for the purpose of enhancing worship. Praise was a very strong element in David’s practice of worship.

“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 when I cried out, You answered me,
And made me bold with strength in my soul.”
Psalm 138:1-3

1. Praise

a) This was a very strong element in David’s life.
b) Praise for him must come from the “whole heart”.
c) He is unafraid to offer praise publicly, even “before the gods”.

2. Worship

a) David had a wondrous sense of regard for God’s “temple”.
b) This could be a reference to the earthly tabernacle in Jerusalem.
c) It could also be a reference to a great consciousness of God in heaven.

3. A great consciousness of God

a) God’s name.
b) His lovingkindness.
c) His truth.
d) His word, which was so great that it was “magnified… above all (God’s) name”.
e) God was One who heard and answered prayer; He was a Giver of great boldness and strength.