592_The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me (Psalm 138)

Psalm 138 I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
2 I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
3 On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.

4 All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth,
5 and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he knows from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your right hand delivers me.
8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.

There is a story often told about a master craftsman who was asked how he could remain so calm while working on an intricate piece of art that would take years to complete. He smiled and said, “I am never anxious about the end, because I trust the design. Every day I simply stay faithful to the pattern I have been given.” Those words echo a deep biblical truth: peace does not come from knowing every detail of the future, but from trusting the One who holds the design. Psalm 138 captures that confidence beautifully, especially in its closing declaration: “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me.” It is not the voice of a man who has lived an easy life, but of David, a man well acquainted with uncertainty, opposition, and suffering, yet deeply convinced that God’s purposes cannot fail.

This psalm stands in contrast to the lament of the previous psalm. Here, David lifts his eyes above his immediate circumstances and makes a bold declaration of God’s greatness in the midst of all. From the very beginning, he gives reasons for praise, not rooted in vague optimism, but grounded in who God is and how God has revealed himself. David bows toward God’s holy temple and gives thanks to God’s name for his steadfast love and faithfulness, declaring that God has exalted above all things his name and his word. In a world filled with competing claims to power and authority, David affirms that the Lord stands alone, unmatched and unrivaled.

The steadfast love and faithfulness of the Lord form the bedrock of David’s worship. Unlike the fickle loyalties of human rulers or the empty promises of false gods, the Lord’s covenant love never wavers. His faithfulness does not depend on circumstances or human merit. God’s name and God’s word are unique in all the earth. His promises do not expire, weaken, or change with time. Scripture repeatedly affirms this truth: all the promises of God find their “Yes” in him. When David says that God has exalted his word above all things, he is confessing that what God has spoken carries absolute authority and unfailing reliability.

This truth finds its fullest expression in the New Testament, where we are told that God exalted Christ and gave him the name that is above every name, so that every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The God David praises is the same God who has revealed himself in Jesus Christ. His name still commands worship, and his word still stands unshaken.

David goes on to give another reason for his praise: the Lord is a prayer-answering God who strengthens the soul. He testifies that when he called, the Lord answered him and strengthened his soul with power. This theme runs like a golden thread throughout Scripture and is one of the clearest marks that distinguishes the living God from idols. Elijah’s challenge on Mount Carmel made this unmistakably clear: “The God who answers by fire, he is God.” The Lord alone responds, acts, and intervenes in the lives of his people.

Again and again, Scripture invites God’s people to call upon him with confidence. The psalmist elsewhere records God’s own words: “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” Another psalm declares, “When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.” David’s praise is not theoretical; it rises from lived experience. He has known what it is to cry out in weakness and to be met with divine strength.

From his personal testimony, David’s vision expands outward. He looks ahead to a day when praise will not be confined to Israel or to the humble worshiper alone, but when kings and nations will join the song. All the kings of the earth, he says, will give thanks to the Lord because they have heard the words of his mouth. They will sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord. This is not wishful thinking; it is prophetic confidence. David sees beyond present rebellion to a future acknowledgment of God’s reign.

The prophets echo this vision. Zechariah speaks of a day when the nations will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts. Habakkuk declares that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Those who now resist his authority will one day bow before him. God’s glory will not remain hidden forever. History is moving steadily toward that appointed end.

Yet David does something remarkable at this point. After lifting our gaze to the cosmic glory of God, he brings the focus back to God’s personal concern for individuals. “Though the Lord is high,” he says, “he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.” The greatness of God does not distance him from the humble; it draws him near to them. The God who rules over kings and nations is attentive to the lowly heart.

Isaiah expresses the same truth with striking clarity. The Lord declares that heaven is his throne and the earth his footstool, yet the one to whom he looks with favor is the one who is humble, contrite in spirit, and who trembles at his word. God’s nearness is not earned by status, strength, or achievement, but welcomed through humility. This is why Scripture consistently calls God’s people to clothe themselves with humility, reminding us that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

David then returns once more to personal testimony. He does not deny the reality of trouble; instead, he acknowledges it honestly. “Though I walk in the midst of trouble,” he says, “you preserve my life.” David’s life had been marked by danger, betrayal, pursuit, and loss. Yet his consistent testimony was that the Lord preserved him, stretched out his hand against his enemies, and delivered him by his right hand. Like another psalm affirms, many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

All of this builds toward the climactic confession of verse 8: “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me.” This is not presumption; it is faith anchored in God’s character. David’s confidence does not rest in his own ability or righteousness, but in the steadfast love of the Lord that endures forever. Because God’s love is eternal, his purposes are secure. What God begins, he completes. No force on earth can frustrate his plans.

This conviction has sustained believers throughout history. There is a deep sense in which every child of God is indestructible until God’s work in them is done. That does not mean life will be free from suffering, but it does mean that nothing is wasted and nothing is random. God’s purposes move forward even through hardship. This is why it is so vital to seek and understand the will of the Lord. The apostle Paul repeatedly prayed that believers would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. He urged them to walk wisely, making the best use of their time, not being foolish, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

In Scripture, wisdom is not merely intelligence or skill; it is alignment with God’s will. Once we know his will, we can rest in the assurance that he will fulfill it. David’s prayer, “Do not forsake the work of your hands,” is not a cry of fear, but an expression of trust. He knows that the God who creates does not abandon what he has lovingly formed.

Psalm 138, then, is a bright song dedicated to the glory of God, but it is also a refuge for the believer’s heart. It reminds us that we need not be intimidated by God’s greatness. We are invited to approach him humbly and experience intimacy, not distance. The God who cannot be contained by heaven or the highest heavens is deeply invested in the lives of his servants. He is committed to fulfilling his purposes for those he has redeemed.

The practical challenge that flows from this psalm is clear. We are called to seek the will of God diligently and to walk in humility before him. What God has clearly revealed in Scripture, we are called to obey without hesitation. In the areas where his will is not yet clear, we are invited to trust his guidance. He leads the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. Those who fear the Lord, he instructs in the way they should choose.

Let this be our prayer today: that the Lord would show us his will, train our hearts in humility, and give us confidence to trust his purposes. As we walk through uncertainty, may we hold fast to this unshakable truth—that the steadfast love of the Lord endures forever, and that he will surely fulfill his purpose for us.