Psalm 138 "Whole-hearted Thankfulness"

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Psalm for Today = 138:1-3 

¹ I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
    before the gods I sing your praise;
² I bow down toward your holy temple
    and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,

    for you have exalted above all things
    your name and your word.
³ On the day I called, you answered me;
    my strength of soul you increased.

    before the gods I sing your praise;

² I bow down toward your holy temple

    and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,

    for you have exalted above all things

    your name and your word.

³ On the day I called, you answered me;

    my strength of soul you increased.

Comments:

What a tremendous psalm of whole-hearted thanks (v.1) by David and words of his future confidence in the Lord. But what is David thankful for?

1.    God was a God of steadfast love and faithfulness (v. 2a)

2.    God had exalted the name and word of God above all things (v. 2b).

3.    God had answered David’s prayer and strengthened his soul (v. 3)

4.    The Lord though high regards the lowly while distancing himself from the haughty (v. 6).

5.    God preserved David’s life in the midst of trouble (v. 7a).

6.    God opposed the wrath of David’s enemies (v. 7b)

7.    That God’s purpose for him (David) would be fulfilled (v. 8).

So what are we whole-heartedly thankful for, or does our thankfulness not rise to such a level? I think it is possible in our affluent society to have become so acclimated to having our needs met and dwelling in relative safety that while we may have a habit of saying “thank you” we don’t fully live lives of gratitude.

David knew what it was like to be falsely accused, hunted, and betrayed by a trusted advisor. He knew what it was like to have it all and also to have nothing. He knew what it was like to mourn the apparent death of his family after an Amalekite raid (1 Samuel 30). Yet, even then, he encouraged himself in the Lord. Thankfulness is a great way to encourage yourself in the Lord.  

I would like to borrow the age-old question “what comes first, the chicken or the egg?” and apply it to the issue of personal gratitude. So what comes first…the thankfulness (v.1) or the strengthening of the soul (v. 3)? Perhaps David understood something that we don’t. While if our prayers are answered it makes it easier to be thankful, the gratitude that arises from a love relationship with the Lord will never be dependent upon our getting what we want.

Mere things cannot produce “whole-hearted” gratitude…can they?