Read Psalm 108
A song. A psalm of David.
1 My heart, O God, is steadfast;
I will sing and make music with all my soul.
2 Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
3 I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
4 For great is your love, higher than the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.
6 Save us and help us with your right hand,
that those you love may be delivered.
7 God has spoken from his sanctuary:
“In triumph I will parcel out Shechem
and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.
8 Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet,
Judah is my scepter.
9 Moab is my washbasin,
on Edom I toss my sandal;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
10 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
11 Is it not you, God, you who have rejected us
and no longer go out with our armies?
12 Give us aid against the enemy,
for human help is worthless.
13 With God we will gain the victory,
and he will trample down our enemies.
Go Deeper
If portions of this psalm of David sound familiar, it is because sections of two previous psalms are included (Psalm 57 & 60). The psalmist once again praises God for love and faithfulness, and then prays to God to deliver His people from their enemies. Most likely Israel was headed into another battle. He gives God the best part of the day and wakes before dawn to greet the day with joyful songs of adoration. Pushing aside doubts and fears, he proclaims his confidence in God’s faithful love.
David feels no shame about publicly exalting the greatness of God among the nations. He is confident of being saved and rescued with God’s right hand. Notice praise preceded his petition. Verse 7 presents the context of David remembering the past with his choice of words “God has spoken in His sanctuary.” David rested in knowing God, not man, ultimately had dominion over the entire earth. “Give us aid against the foe, for human help is worthless (v. 12) and “With God we will perform valiantly; He will trample our foes (v .13).
Psalm 22:3 says “Holy God inhabits the praises of his people.” Inhabit means simply to occupy, reside or settle. It moves the heart of God when we celebrate Him and give him preeminence in our daily lives. It opens the door and creates space for Him to dwell in and through us. The beautiful thing is in the process we are transformed by His mercy and truth. Living any other way is futile and leads us down a disillusioned path.
Here is a simple acrostic as a guide to prayer:
Adoration: Praise to God for who He is
Confession: of our sins
Thanksgiving: Remembering the grace and mercy of God
Supplication: Requests for needs
Questions
- What is the condition of your heart today? Can you honestly say it is confident in God?
- What would it look like for you to praise Him with your whole being? What might you be withholding from Him? Seek accountability from a trusted friend.
- What foe do you need God to trample in your life today?
Keep Digging:
Check out the significance of the right hand of God in Scripture through this gotquestions.org article.
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1 thought on “Psalm 108”
As I read this Psalm penned by David, I’m praying for the precious Christians in Afghanistan who are facing unbelievable persecution from the Taliban. Father, “give us aid against the foe” (v12). Stir our hearts to intercede, equip us to serve, and may our confidence unswervingly be in You alone.