GOD-CENTERED WORSHIP
Opening Prayer
Mighty God, everything in heaven and on earth belongs to you; yours is the greatness and the power, the glory, majesty, and splendor— you are the ruler of all things. All praise to you, Lord of all (from I Chronicles 29:11).
Read PSALM 108
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
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.
Footnotes
- Psalm 108:1 In Hebrew texts 108:1-13 is numbered 108:2-14.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
‘Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.’1
Think Further
After days of reflecting on the ups and downs of rulers who didn’t want God at the center 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 (vv. 4, 6). Rehearsing words about God’s sovereign control (vv. 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 endeavor is worthless, but God’s faithfulness will bring victory (vv. 12, 13). The prayer’s cry for help is embedded in worship to our King.
Apply
‘Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father’.4 Praise God for all he has provided and for all he will provide.
Closing prayer
Mighty God, may my life be a constant expression of praise to you – a life that others will witness and see how great you are.
1 Ps 108:5 2 1 Kings 14:8 3 1 Kings 18:22 4 Thomas Obadiah Chisholm, 1866–1960
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