Slices
Prepare
Start with a song of praise, such as ‘Great is thy faithfulness’* or ‘To God be the glory’.**
*Thomas Chisholm, 1923
**Fanny Crosby, 1875
Bible passage
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 sceptre.
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 shall gain the victory,
and he will trample down our enemies.
Explore
Psalm 108 answers some key questions about praise:
How should we praise? We are to be determined, unwavering and wholehearted (v 1) in praise. That means that we can praise God for who he is and what he has done even when we are sad or hard-pressed.
When should we praise? At the beginning of every new day (v 2) before we do anything else! And when we face trouble (vs 6,12) and uncertainty (v 11). Notice how David is plagued with doubt about whether God will go with him into battle (v 11), but he reacts to uncertainty by praising God.
Where should we praise? David praises God among people who don’t know or acknowledge the Lord (v 3). There’s a challenge for us! Singing worship songs at work may not be appropriate, but honouring God and speaking warmly of what he means to us definitely is!
Why should we praise? Because God’s love is boundless. He is committed to saving, helping and blessing us (vs 4,6). And he is in control. Everything and everyone is under his rule (vs 8,9). That includes those who acknowledge him (Gilead, Manasseh, Ephraim and Judah) and those who don’t (Moab, Edom and Philistia).
Respond
Whatever doubt or difficulty you are facing, hold on to God. Call out to him. Praise him, because with him, there is always hope (v 13).
Deeper Bible study
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.’1
After days of reflecting on the ups and downs of rulers who didn’t want God at the centre of their lives, we come to this worship song of King David. Here was someone who followed God with all his heart.2 What might we (and those other rulers of God’s people) learn for our own praise and prayer from these words?
The psalm, drawing on words from Psalms 57 and 60, begins with the writer’s intention to praise and exalt God. His words are not just about personal thanksgiving but express the desire that his and the people’s worship will testify to God’s greatness ‘among the nations’ (v 3). He wants God’s glory and faithfulness to be known all over the earth (v 5). Worship is witness. Having acknowledged who reigns, the psalmist then cries out: ‘Save us and help us’ (v 6). This isn’t a random prayer. It arises from confidence in God’s love for them and his faithfulness (vs 4,6). Rehearsing words about God’s sovereign control (vs 7–9), King David recalls the special place of Judah and God’s disdain of his people’s old enemies (Moab, Edom and Philistia). God is victorious.
Like David, we, his people, know this, but… there are times when God seems distant and we feel alone.3 We may wonder if our failures are because God has rejected us and is no longer with us (v 11). How then should we live in desperate times? This leader doesn’t turn from God because of hard times. Instead he addresses his people’s heartfelt needs to God (v 11). He is sustained by hope – human endeavour is worthless, but God’s faithfulness will bring victory (vs 12,13). The prayer’s cry for help is embedded in worship to our King.
‘Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father’.4 Praise God for all he has provided and for all he will provide.
1 Ps 108:5 2 1 Kings 14:8 3 1 Kings 18:22 4 Thomas Obadiah Chisholm, 1866–1960
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Isaiah 1,2; 1 Timothy 6
Pray for Scripture Union
SU Slovakia gives thanks for the printing and distribution of resources for Sunday school teachers during the summer in time for the new school year. Please pray that these resources will equip the users and enable children to grow in faith.
