On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul (v. 3, NASB1995).
Have you ever felt overwhelmed? Perhaps depressed and not motivated? Maybe frustrated with others and lacking hope for the future?
Please read Psalm 138 several times.
One day, I was feeling overwhelmed, depressed, frustrated, and losing hope when I read Psalm 138:3. The Lord spoke to me through the words of the Psalmist.
David had asked for help, and God strengthened his soul. So, I asked God to strengthen my soul too.
Do you need your soul strengthened today?
The word “soul” has depth. It implies intellectual and emotional well-being. On the day that I was discouraged, God didn’t give me a million dollars, but I felt a renewed sense of His presence.
And that strengthened my soul.
Psalm 138 describes what I have come to know as sanctuary time.
Verse 2 describes David bowing before God in the temple. The temple in this Psalm can also mean “sanctuary.” The idea of sanctuary in the Old Testament must be updated with the New Testament Covenant that we are now God’s temple.
The Apostle Paul writes …
Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16)
David had to go to the temple, but we are the temple. David experienced God’s presence while in the temple, and his soul was renewed. That morning, years ago, I found help in the temple, too – in my soul during prayer! I felt instantly better intellectually and emotionally.
Experiencing God’s presence has one result …
I will give You thanks with all my heart; I will sing praises to You before the gods (v. 1).
Sanctuary time for King David restored his joy. It does with us as well.
One of the results of the sanctuary time that David describes is blessing for the nations. Verses 4 and 5 are prophetic, depicting eternity when Jerusalem will be God’s throne on earth and a temple for the healing of the nations.
The book of Revelation teaches …
The city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it (Revelation 21:23-24).
Can you find healing today for your soul? The answer is an emphatic “Yes!”
Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble (v. 6).
In our temple, the only requirement for healing of the soul is humility. I pray that you have sanctuary time today.
And with God’s presence, let’s be healing for our communities and in missions throughout the world.
Sanctuary time!