| Psalm 138 reads as follows from the New King | | | | Someone might have a mansion on the hill and |
| James version of the Bible: | | | | feel secure with that, and then not see the Lord |
| 1 I will praise You with my whole heart; | | | | as his or her fortress as per psalm 71 verse 3 |
| Before the gods I will sing praises to You. | | | | which says,” Be my rock of refuge, to which |
| 2 I will worship toward Your holy temple, | | | | I can always go; give the command to save me, |
| And praise Your name | | | | for you are my rock and my fortress. Your |
| For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; | | | | fortress isn’t a mansion of the hill, a great |
| For You have magnified Your word above all Your | | | | job, some given talent, but the extended hand of |
| name. | | | | the Lord towards your concerns, the hand of |
| 3 In the day when I cried out, You answered me, | | | | which you can resort to continuously, as you can |
| And made me bold with strength in my soul. | | | | always go into the mercy of the Lord’s |
| 4 All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O | | | | extended hand which stretches into all of your |
| LORD, | | | | concerns according to this psalm. |
| When they hear the words of Your mouth. | | | | There are those who are relying too much on |
| 5 Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the LORD, | | | | things like mansions which are of course nice to |
| For great is the glory of the LORD. | | | | have but have limited range. But once they go |
| 6 Though the LORD is on high, | | | | about they can’t defer away from variables |
| Yet He regards the lowly; | | | | out there that are concerning that are not within |
| But the proud He knows from afar. | | | | their ability to control despite their independent |
| 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will | | | | means of wealth. In modern days, things like |
| revive me; | | | | transportation conditions, the availability of food |
| You will stretch out Your hand | | | | for sale, the state of the nation, the state of the |
| Against the wrath of my enemies, | | | | air and whether it is clean to breath, how the big |
| And Your right hand will save me. | | | | cities are doing, are all concerns of any given |
| 8 The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; | | | | individual. If things are caving in around you, it |
| Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; : | | | | might eventually also reach you. |
| Do not forsake the works of Your hands. | | | | Concerns might be held jointly as well as |
| . | | | | individually. You have concerns with other |
| A key verse in this psalm is verse 8 which says, | | | | individuals that you share. Even taking a trip with |
| “the Lord will perfect that which concerns me; | | | | friends, you are all concerned about travel |
| Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not | | | | conditions as they will be. |
| forsake the work of your hands.” Even while | | | | Concerns of the psalmist David might have |
| walking in the midst of trouble which of course | | | | stretched to and been shared with the men of his |
| could have been a deepening trouble, as it can get | | | | army, his congregation, to his lineage in the far |
| worse, the psalmist can meditate on how the | | | | future. |
| Lord goes into all of his concerns out of his | | | | One can look at superficial concerns and deeper |
| mercy for him, a mercy that he does know even | | | | concerns and deeper concerns of the heart might |
| from the trouble he is in. "Though I walk through | | | | need to be drawn out of the wells of the depths |
| the midst of trouble," means, despite or even | | | | with the grace of the Lord. The grace of the |
| though I do have these troubles of which are of | | | | Lord is powerful and touches on all of your |
| an encompassing nature, as the psalmist walks | | | | concerns. There is a tendency sometimes for the |
| right in these troubles, there is a way of | | | | faithful to gloss over concerns. They might say to |
| perfecting or a perfection of the Lord for him | | | | themselves, all I need to do is seek the Kingdom |
| arising out of the gift of mercy, a mercy which is | | | | and all these things will be added to me. |
| directly upon his troubles. | | | | While the focus is to be what is first, someone |
| The thought might be, all I need to do is to get to | | | | should at least be aware of the additions and the |
| a higher status, a higher position and I’m set | | | | need for them. The Lord’s hand does extend |
| as to everything and all other things will be also | | | | into the additions which might be obscure from |
| running smoothly But trouble if it comes has the | | | | you current view but nevertheless they are real |
| feel of a lower estate, of being down and out, | | | | concerns of yours. You might need added |
| and feeling lowly as mentioned in this psalm. With | | | | finances, added health, added sunshine, added |
| that, there might be the feeling or thoughts that | | | | good food, added favor, added fellowships, all |
| the Lord is not regarding you because of your | | | | addressed as concerns whether primary or |
| difficulties, and that the Lord’s grace does not | | | | secondary, as they are still concerns for the light |
| come into this circle of troubles. | | | | of the Lord’s presence. Someone for |
| This can be a point of questioning in prayer, that | | | | example may have the need for added finances |
| is asking the Lord how he regards the particular | | | | in the near future, but they aren’t aware of |
| trouble you are in and this is asking the perpective | | | | this need in the present moment. So the |
| of the Lord on your troubles. Your perpective on | | | | extension or extended hand of concerns goes |
| your troubles and the Lord's perspective and your | | | | also into the future. And from this psalm, anything |
| troubles may not match and it is useful to ask | | | | that rings of troubles or difficulties is also a |
| the Lord for his perspective. | | | | matter of concern even if it makes you feel bad |
| But whether you are standing in a good position | | | | about yourself and you think it is or it is your own |
| or not, your concerns may also direct widely as | | | | fault. |
| well as to what is right in front of you in the | | | | The other aspect of this is that, you might be |
| moment. Even in the middle of trouble, your | | | | going to church a lot, serving the Lord reverently |
| concerns can have a rather wide or widening | | | | and with fervor in some way and then maybe |
| scope and the troubles may keep you in a sense | | | | somehow not prioritizing that which really does |
| from addressing concerns that go out there, but | | | | concern you. And real concerns might be brushed |
| you can reach into because of the overlay of | | | | aside, and this might be partly a lack of trust not |
| troubles right upon you. | | | | only in the Lord but also in your self and your |
| The very state of the land or ways of the | | | | own ability to deal with them. But the Lord might |
| society you are living in can be of concern to you. | | | | bring these concerns out, that indeed what you |
| How your friends and the people you meet are | | | | are semi ignoring is a concern of yours and that |
| doing is of concern to you. Potential situations that | | | | you should be shifting some attention and |
| have not come up yet is a concern to you. | | | | resources of time, talent, thought, effort and |
| Verse 7 says,” Though I walk in the midst of | | | | whatever towards these concerns which are real |
| trouble, you will revive me, You will stretch out | | | | and are part of what concerns you in the |
| Your hand, Against the wrath of my enemies, | | | | Lord’s sighting for you and his extended hand |
| and your right hand will save me,” In the case | | | | for you and what the Lord will perfect in that it |
| of the psalmist, the Lord stretches his hand | | | | does indeed concern you. Therefore it is not |
| against his enemies, whose pursuit is a concern of | | | | wrong to go into these concerns giving that the |
| the psalmist. The point of this is that the concerns | | | | Lord is working on them. |
| of the psalmist mentioned in verse 8 stretches | | | | An example of this might be I could be going to |
| out to concerns about pursuing enemies. And this | | | | the office and spending a lot of time there and |
| indeed was the case of the psalmist David. David | | | | doing great with my job but I am not getting |
| might not have only had troubles right upon him, | | | | enough exercise. Because I am doing so well in |
| but also mounting troubles in the distance of | | | | this one area, I brush aside another area as really |
| approaching enemies. The Lord’s hand would | | | | being a matter of concern. And then even |
| stretch not only to his local concerns, but his | | | | spiritually if we are doing great, we might brush |
| more distant and faraway concerns, that soon | | | | aside another area as having little importance |
| could be coming close enough. | | | | when indeed it really is a concern. Even the need |
| Indeed what concerns you does stretch beyond. | | | | for a trip, a vacation or a change of scenery |
| There might be more immediate concerns, but | | | | might be an important concern that people brush |
| your concerns also stretch widely and go to any | | | | aside for years. What can be meditated on with |
| number of situations and places. There are direct | | | | this psalm is just how the Lord has extended his |
| concerns and indirect concerns. Concerns might be | | | | hand widely, and has put his shepherding care into |
| for friends, relatives, distant relatives. You might | | | | your concerns that are much more that you may |
| work for a company that has concerns all over | | | | have contemplated previously. If the hand of the |
| the globe. The state of the environment concerns | | | | Lord is stretched into these areas, then you also |
| you and this can go to global as an ecological | | | | could also stretch your own hand into these areas |
| disaster can come right to your area through the | | | | and this psalm also has the aspect of permission, |
| water or atmosphere. Giant natural fires have | | | | in that if something really does concern you in the |
| send smoke to other countries through the | | | | eyes of the Lord and his hand is stretched upon |
| atmosphere. | | | | these concerns, then you do have permission to |
| Just what could concern a given individual if looked | | | | proceed into these area with His guidance. |
| at more broadly can almost be endless. | | | | This is important because sometimes people feel |
| There can be the guise of independence. | | | | that they are identified with the trouble they are |
| For example, I might be a strong hiker and an | | | | in and think their only concern is what is of the |
| expert hiker going into some exotic terrain or | | | | nature of the troubles and the contenting forces |
| going into a climb of foreboding mountains. There | | | | about these troubles. It is also as if they feel they |
| is kind of an independent reliance on this strength, | | | | do not have permission to go into another area, |
| endurance and expertise. However the conditions | | | | and that in a way it doesn’t concern them as |
| and the situation is still something that has | | | | all they have are these set of troubles anda |
| uncontrollable and potentially dangerous elements | | | | circumstances and that is all they should be |
| and wild animals such as bears, mountain lions and | | | | thinking about. But the Lord’s hand stretches |
| so forth could be lurking. Things like avalanches, | | | | to real concerns which could be more of a trouble |
| extreme weather fronts, suddenly falling trees | | | | free nature as well but areas that may and |
| could all come into play. A wrong step near a | | | | potentially can concern you in the positive sense |
| ledge could be a factor. All this might call for the | | | | of things. So there can be an astuteness of spirit, |
| watchful care of the Lord and or one of these | | | | where the Lord is leading me into what are real |
| angels. There is the feeling of independence and | | | | concerns, in the truth of his light, rather than |
| strength, but it has its limits and beyond that | | | | things that may not be seen by me from the |
| there are contending forces and elements that | | | | surrounding darkness of some troubles. |
| could come into play in the situation and do list as | | | | The psalmist was capable of thinking about this, |
| outside concerns. | | | | as he speaks of the Lord’s wide hand of |
| Someone could have extensive intelligence, where | | | | perfection, and realizes that it is there even |
| they can chart previously unknown courses in | | | | though he is immersed in troubles, and it |
| science and things like that, but that independent | | | | isn’t all troubles and the Lord’s presence |
| intelligence can only do so much and can’t | | | | goes to these troubles but also way beyond |
| keep every possible trouble at bay or in the | | | | these troubles to concerns that are indeed |
| distance. Trouble can lurk no matter what your | | | | outside of these troubles but stll under the light of |
| independent abilities are. | | | | his widening presence for you. |