O Lord, strengthen my soul!
"On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul." (Psalms 138:3)
Yesterday, a brother in Christ came to my house. Later, I found out through my wife that he came my house because he was hurt a little at the church he was attending. There were 20 churches gathered to have a sport competition, so he worked hard to prepare it. But I think his church coach asked him to see the next opportunity. However, through an e-mail going around, he learned that he couldn’t participate in the sport competition because his church coach recruited someone who was good at sports from another church. That was why he got hurt. So the brother came to my house yesterday Friday without going to his church meeting. After he left our house, as I talked with my wife, I thought that our church members because they could also get hurt in our church too. So I urged my wife to put people more important than events and programs while serving in the English Ministry of our church. I encouraged my wife to be a team with me who encourages English Ministry team leaders to comfort and encourage each other and to use the gifts they received.
We, like this brother who visited my house, are easy to get hurt in the church. The psalmist confesses in Psalm 143:4, 7 that “my spirit is overwhelmed within me” (v. 4) and “my spirit fails” (v. 7). He was hurt and tired because "the enemy has persecuted my soul" (v. 3). In other words, because he dwelled in dark places (v. 3), the psalmist’s spirit was overwhelmed and failed. I think about what makes my soul overwhelms and fails. I think it is our haughty eyes as Psalms 131:1 says. It is because we involve ourselves in great matters or in things too difficult for us. Knowing and acknowledging who I am, I just need to serve faithfully according to the gift given to me. But sometimes the temptation to look at other gifted pastors makes my soul fail within me. So, sometimes I don't want to see the Christian newspapers that come to our church. So I don't read them. This spiritual condition can never be considered healthy. Just as a healthy self is important, a healthy soul is essential to our Christian life. God wants to give us such healthy soul. Indeed, I would like to meditate on how God strengthens our souls, focusing on Psalms 138.
First, God strengthens our souls through praise and worship.
Look at Psalms 138:1-2: “I will give You thanks with all my heart; I will sing praises to You before the gods. I will bow down toward Your holy temple ….” The psalmist says that praise and worship should be offered to God, but with whole heart and thanksgiving. Why should we give thanks to God with all our hearts? The reason is because the Lord’s lovingkindness and His truth (v. 6). When I was thinking about what “Your lovingkindness” is, verse 6 came to my mind: “For though the LORD is exalted, Yet He regards the lowly ….” Yesterday I went home and walked a little with my youngest daughter, Yeun. Yeun was only 1 year old. So I walked with her by holding her hand. But to hold the child's hand, I had to bend over. My back hurt a little, but I was happy to see Yeun, who likes to walk while holding her father's hand. Here, I looked back at my heart as a dad for my daughter. I was able to feel the love of God when I thought that Heavenly Father is walking with such lowly one like me. I meditated on the word “Your truth” (v. 2) or His faithfulness in connection with the word of verse 7: “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me.” For example, yesterday, while holding Yeun's hand, I took my hand out of her hand several times in order to make her to exercise walking. Each time Yeun fell and cried, she stretched out her hand to me. In this way, even if we are stumbled in times of trouble, the Lord is the faithful God who stretches His hand and saves us. The reason we can believe that the Lord who saved us in the past, who has saved us in the present, and who will save us in the future, is because that Lord is a faithful God. David praised and worshiped God because he gave thanks to God with all his heart for His lovingkindness and faithfulness. Then God strengthened his soul.
Second, God strengthens our souls through His word.
Look at Psalms 138:2b, 4a – “… For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name. … When they have heard the words of Your mouth.” God is the God who strengthens our souls through His promised word. He is the God who magnifies His word through the fulfillment of the promised word. The words of the great God revived David even though he was in trouble: “This is my comfort in my affliction, That Your word has revived me.” O Lord, revive our souls according to You word! David’s soul was strengthened by the word of God.
Third and last, God strengthens our souls through prayer.
Look at Psalms 138:3 – “On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul.” Through answering prayers, David became bold and his soul was strengthened. How did he pray to God? He gave thanks to the Lord with all his heart (v. 1), relying on the Lord's lovingkindness and faithfulness (v. 2), holding onto the word of the Lord (vv. 2, 4), with the assurance of salvation (v. 7), and praying in faith, “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me” (v. 8). David was strengthened by the power of prayer.
There seems to be a lot of tendency to focus too much on the outwardly things in the life of faith. We are driven by words, actions, habits, programs, events, church numbers, and so on. Psalms 138 tells us that our souls must be strengthen by God. God strengthens our souls through praise and worship, through the word of the Lord, and through prayer. O Lord, strengthen my soul!
With my gratitude to God who strengthens my soul as I prepare for the church revival meeting with prayer,
James Kim
(After my soul had been strengthened through the early morning prayer meeting and the leader's Bible study time)