Theme:
Gratitude rises into bold worship because God has answered the psalmist’s cry and will finish what His faithful love began.
Tone:
Grateful and confident.
Structure:
Personal thanksgiving for answered prayer → widened horizon as nations and kings are drawn to God’s glory → quiet confidence that God will complete His purpose.
The Call
The psalm opens with whole-hearted thanks—public, unashamed, and costly. The singer refuses a private faith: gratitude becomes testimony “before” powers that might intimidate. Worship turns toward God’s holy presence, not because life is easy, but because God has proven Himself attentive.
The Reflection
At the center stands a remembered rescue: “in the day I called, you answered me.” Thanksgiving here is not vague appreciation; it is a response to a concrete act of divine help. The psalmist names what that help revealed—God’s steadfast love and faithfulness, and the weight of His word.
From that personal deliverance, the heart lifts its eyes outward: if God’s glory is displayed in answering the lowly, then even kings will have reason to praise. The psalm holds together two truths that often feel far apart: the LORD is exalted, and yet He regards the humble. Gratitude deepens into reverence as the singer realizes that God’s greatness is not distance but holy attention—while the proud, He sees from far off.
The Resolve
The closing lines do not pretend the path is finished. Trouble may return; enemies may still threaten. Yet thanksgiving becomes settled confidence: the God who stretched out His hand once will do so again. The final petition is not anxious bargaining but trusting dependence—an appeal that God would not abandon the work of His own hands. The psalm ends with a calm certainty: God’s steadfast love endures, therefore His purpose will.
Psalm 138’s gratitude for answered prayer and preserving power finds a fuller horizon in Jesus. Christ is the humbled One whom the Father “regards” and vindicates—heard in His anguish and raised in glory. In Him, God’s steadfast love and faithfulness take flesh, and God’s word is magnified not only in promise but in fulfillment.
The psalmist’s confidence—“the LORD will fulfill his purpose for me”—echoes in the security believers have in Christ, who does not abandon the work of His hands. Our thanksgiving becomes more than remembering past help; it becomes worship of the crucified and risen Lord who will complete what He began.
The phrase often rendered “steadfast love” is חֶסֶד (ḥesed)—covenant love that is loyal, enduring, and active. In Psalm 138, gratitude rests not on a momentary favor but on God’s pledged faithfulness to His people, which makes past deliverance a foundation for future hope.
“On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.” — Psalm 138:3
Answer the questions below. When you choose an option, you will see the result and an explanation.
1. What specific event is remembered as the reason for the psalmist’s thanksgiving?
2. How does the psalm describe God’s response to the humble and the proud?