◄ Psalm 138:5 ►














Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
Recognized Answer To Prayer
Psalm 138:3
R. Tuck
In the day that I called thou answeredst me; thou didst encourage me with strength in my soul. Here prayer had evidently been offered for some special thing; what it was we are not told, nor does it greatly matter. Our attention is fixed on the fact that the answer came at once, and was recognized as the answer. We have ways in which we expect answers to come; and because they do not come in the expected ways, we fail to recognize them as answers at all. But it cannot be becoming for us to fix conditions to the prayers we offer. There can be no "making terms" with God.

I. THE ANSWER IN THIS CASE WAS IMMEDIATE. "In the day when I called." We need not press the word "day." It is but equivalent to "at the very time." Compare the experience of Daniel (Daniel 9:21), and that of our Divine Lord (John 12:27, 28). It is true that there is sometimes delay in the answer to our prayer; but, in that case, delay is the answer. The fact is that the answer is always immediate; and of this we can be sure, because the attention is always immediate. Illustrate by the orderliness of the business man, who sees to everything at once. Serious injury is done to Christian life by suggesting that God is very likely to delay, He is much more likely to answer at once.

II. THE ANSWER IN THIS CASE WAS NOT A SHAPING OF CIRCUMSTANCES. It often was in the Old Testament days; and this is strikingly illustrated in the prayer of Abraham's servant (Genesis 24.). The higher truth comes into view in the New Testament. St. Paul prays for a change of circumstances - the removal of the "thorn in the flesh." The answer did not change his conditions.

III. THE ANSWER IN THIS CASE WAS A DIVINE INWARD STRENGTHENING. "Thou didst encourage me with strength in my soul." To St. Paul the answer was, "My grace is sufficient for thee." The cry of genuine and heartfelt prayer is the expression of conscious weakness. It is, therefore, really a cry for strength. And the best answer is strength. But that is not what we seem to ask for, or think we ask for, and so we mistake the answer.

IV. THE ANSWER, IN THIS CASE, INVOLVED MASTERY OF CIRCUMSTANCES BY THE STRENGTHENED SOUL. Strength received in Gethsemane prayer-time enabled our Lord to endure Calvary; and so the triumph of the cross was the answer to his prayer, though it came as inward strengthening. What we should watch for is the immediate answer to our prayer for soul-strengthening, Answers in cur circumstances may be left to follow. - R.T.

Biblical Illustrator
Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord.
Psalm 138:5
Singing in the ways of the Lord
According to the connection, this is spoken of kings (ver. 4). That time has not come yet, so let us sing all the more. We may (ver. 6). If we do not, surely the stones of the street will cry out against us.

I. "THEY SHALL SING IN THE WAYS OF THE LORD."

1. Gracious persons take pleasure in the things of religion.

2. They do not go out of God's ways to get their songs. They shall sing "in the ways." Alas! I have heard of some who go here and there, as they say, "to get a little pleasure." What? You find no pleasure in the ways of God? Then you are a hypocrite.

3. They sing as they are actively engaged in the ways of the Lord. Soldiers march to battle ,with sound of trumpet and beat of drum, listening to music while they march; so Christian men go on their pilgrimage, and keep step to the sound of joyous psalms and hymns.

4. The children of God sing in the ways of God because they are in a case for singing: in a right state of mind for singing.(1) When we are in the ways of the Lord we are strong; "they go from strength to strength." When we walk as God would have us walk we are made strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Well may that pilgrim sing who is made strong by the mighty God of Jacob.(2) You have safety also; for in the ways of the Lord all His servants are protected from danger. In the king's highway "no lion shall be there, neither shall any ravenous beast go up thereon." You shall be "kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation," in the ways of the Lord. Well may that traveller sing who is perfectly safe!(3) You have also guidance.(4) And provision.

II. "THEY SHALL SING OF THE WAYS OF THE LORD." Not only are God's ways the place of their song, but its subject.

1. God's ways to us. Predestination, redemption, etc. God's ways are such gracious ways, such wise ways, such holy ways, such ways of wisdom and of lovingkindness, that in any company we may talk about them, and in every place we may sing of them. We will sing of the ways of the Lord with us.

2. Our ways to God.

(1)A good road.

(2)Good company.

(3)Good accommodation.

(4)Fine prospects.

(5)We have daylight to travel by, for we are not the children of darkness.

III. THOSE WHO SING IN THE WAYS OF GOD ALSO SING OF THE LORD OF THE WAY. "They shall sing in the ways of the Lord," and then some read it, "That great is the glory of the Lord." That is the subject of their song. When they sing about the Lord of the way this psalm supplies us with the points of their song.

1. God's lovingkindness (ver. 2).

2. God's truth (ver. 2).

3. Answered prayers (ver. 3).

4. God's condescension (ver. 6).

5. God's delivering mercy (ver. 7).

6. Final preservation (ver. 8).

IV. THEY SHALL SING TO THE LORD OF THE WAY, AS WELL AS OF THE LORD OF THE WAY. "They shall sing in the ways, for great is the glory of the Lord."

1. Let us take care that all our songs are to the honour and praise of God, for if we ever sing to our own praise it will be idolatry. I fear much public worship, is thus marred. Our singing should be such that God hears it with pleasure — singing in which there is not so much art as heart — not so much of musical sound as of spiritual emotion. They shall sing to the glory of God.

2. If you and I sing with the Spirit and the understanding, we shall increase the manifested glory of God by bringing others to sing in His ways.

( C. H. Spurgeon.)

The joy of believers in the way of obedience
W. Jay.
I. THE WAYS OF THE LORD.

1. The way in which God walks in regard to us.

(1)Nature.

(2)Dispensations of providence.

(3)Dispensations of grace.

2. The way in which we walk in regard to Him.

(1)Obedience.

(2)Inclination.

II. HOW THE PEOPLE OF GOD ARE TO BE AFFECTED IN THEM. They not only walk in the ways of the Lord, but "sing" in them. This implies acquiescence, approbation, satisfaction, pleasure, delight. Whence springs this "singing in the ways of the Lord"? We may look after some of the near sources of it.

1. Conviction. The believer is "able to give a reason of the hope that is in him," and he is able to give a reason of the joy that is in him.

2. Renovation. Now he is born of God, there. fore he savours "the things which are freely given him of God."

3. Experience. Oh, what delightful hours were those in which I have taken sweet counsel, and gone to the house of God in company; — in which I have seen His power and His glory there!

4. Fellowship. "I am a companion of all those that fear Thee, and of those that keep Thy precepts."

5. His prospects and anticipations. "Eye hath not seen," etc.

6. The accommodation. Everything is provided for these travellers that shall make them rejoice and "sing in the ways of the Lord." Guidance, defence, strength, etc.

(W. Jay.)

People
David, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Glory, Honour, Sing, Songs, Yea, Yes
Outline
1. David praises God for the truth of his word
4. He prophesies that the kings of the earth shall praise God
7. He professes his confidence in God

Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 138:5

     8608   prayer, and worship

Psalm 138:1-5

     8352   thankfulness

Library
Faith in Perfection
In the opening, I must remark that this is not the heritage of all mankind. The word, "me," in the text, cannot be appropriated by any man, unless he, in some respects, resembles the character of David, who penned this psalm. The text, however, itself, is its own guard. If you look at it, you will see that there is in its bowels a full description of a true Christian. I will ask you three questions suggested by the words themselves, and according to your answer to these three questions, shall be …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859

Question of the Contemplative Life
I. Is the Contemplative Life wholly confined to the Intellect, or does the Will enter into it? S. Thomas, On the Beatific Vision, I., xii. 7 ad 3m II. Do the Moral Virtues pertain to the Contemplative Life? S. Augustine, Of the City of God, xix. 19 III. Does the Contemplative Life comprise many Acts? S. Augustine, Of the Perfection of Human Righteousness, viii. 18 " Ep., cxxx. ad probam IV. Does the Contemplative Life consist solely in the Contemplation of God, or in the Consideration …
St. Thomas Aquinas—On Prayer and The Contemplative Life

Epistle Xlvii. To Dominicus, Bishop.
To Dominicus, Bishop. Gregory to Dominicus, Bishop of Carthage [1454] . We have received with the utmost gratification the letters of your Fraternity, which have reached us somewhat late by the hands of Donatus and Quodvultdeus, our most reverend brethren and fellow-bishops, and also Victor the deacon with Agilegius the notary. And though we thought that we had suffered loss from the tardiness of their coming, yet we find gain from their more abundant charity; seeing that from this delay in point …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

The Coming Revival
"Wilt Thou not revive us again: that Thy people may rejoice in Thee?"--PS. lxxxv. 6. "O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years."--HAB. iii. 2. "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, Thou wilt revive me: Thy right hand shall save me."--PS. cxxxviii. 7. "I dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite heart, to revive the heart of the contrite ones."--ISA. lvii. 15. "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. He will revive us."--HOS. vi. 1, 2. The Coming …
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession

Forasmuch as Each Man is a Part of the Human Race...
1. Forasmuch as each man is a part of the human race, and human nature is something social, and hath for a great and natural good, the power also of friendship; on this account God willed to create all men out of one, in order that they might be held in their society not only by likeness of kind, but also by bond of kindred. Therefore the first natural bond of human society is man and wife. Nor did God create these each by himself, and join them together as alien by birth: but He created the one …
St. Augustine—On the Good of Marriage

Prayer Out of the Deep.
Hear my prayer, O God; and hide not Thyself from my petition. Take heed unto me and hear me; how I mourn in my prayer and am vexed.--Psalm iv. 1, 2. In my trouble I will call upon the Lord, and complain unto my God; so shall He hear my voice out of His holy temple, and my complaint shall come before Him; it shall enter even into His ears.--Ps. xviii. 5, 6. The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon Him; He also will hear their cry, and will help them.--Psalm cxlv. 18, 19. In the day when I cried …
Charles Kingsley—Out of the Deep

Wherefore a Few Witnesses, which the Lord Deigns to Suggest to My Mind...
32. Wherefore a few witnesses, which the Lord deigns to suggest to my mind, I proceed to mention, from out the teaching of Christ concerning humility, such as perhaps may be enough for my purpose. His discourse, the first which He delivered to His disciples at greater length, began from this. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." [2105] And these without all controversy we take to be humble. The faith of that Centurion He on this account chiefly praised, and said …
St. Augustine—Of Holy Virginity.

Letter Xliii a Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey.
A Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. There is no reason to mourn a son as lost who is a religious, still less to fear for his delicacy of constitution. 1. If God makes your son His son also, what do you lose or what does he himself lose? Being rich he becomes richer; being already high born, of still nobler lineage; being illustrious, he gains greater renown; and--what is more than all--once a sinner he is now a saint. He must be prepared for the Kingdom that has been prepared for him …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

That the Ruler Should be Always Chief in Action.
The ruler should always be chief in action, that by his living he may point out the way of life to those that are put under him, and that the flock, which follows the voice and manners of the shepherd, may learn how to walk better through example than through words. For he who is required by the necessity of his position to speak the highest things is compelled by the same necessity to exhibit the highest things. For that voice more readily penetrates the hearer's heart, which the speaker's life …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

How those that are at Variance and those that are at Peace are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 23.) Differently to be admonished are those that are at variance and those that are at peace. For those that are at variance are to be admonished to know most certainly that, in whatever virtues they may abound, they can by no means become spiritual if they neglect becoming united to their neighbours by concord. For it is written, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace (Gal. v. 22). He then that has no care to keep peace refuses to bear the fruit of the Spirit. Hence Paul …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Sense in Which, and End for which all Things were Delivered to the Incarnate Son.
For whereas man sinned, and is fallen, and by his fall all things are in confusion: death prevailed from Adam to Moses (cf. Rom. v. 14), the earth was cursed, Hades was opened, Paradise shut, Heaven offended, man, lastly, corrupted and brutalised (cf. Ps. xlix. 12), while the devil was exulting against us;--then God, in His loving-kindness, not willing man made in His own image to perish, said, Whom shall I send, and who will go?' (Isa. vi. 8). But while all held their peace, the Son [441] said, …
Athanasius—Select Works and Letters or Athanasius

Covenant Duties.
It is here proposed to show, that every incumbent duty ought, in suitable circumstances, to be engaged to in the exercise of Covenanting. The law and covenant of God are co-extensive; and what is enjoined in the one is confirmed in the other. The proposals of that Covenant include its promises and its duties. The former are made and fulfilled by its glorious Originator; the latter are enjoined and obligatory on man. The duties of that Covenant are God's law; and the demands of the law are all made …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Introduction. Chapter i. --The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers.
St. Hilary of Poitiers is one of the greatest, yet least studied, of the Fathers of the Western Church. He has suffered thus, partly from a certain obscurity in his style of writing, partly from the difficulty of the thoughts which he attempted to convey. But there are other reasons for the comparative neglect into which he has fallen. He learnt his theology, as we shall see, from Eastern authorities, and was not content to carry on and develop the traditional teaching of the West; and the disciple …
St. Hilary of Poitiers—The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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