Psalm 138

Of David

1 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;
before the "gods" I will sing your praise.

2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.

3 When I called, you answered me;
you made me bold and stouthearted.

4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD,
when they hear the words of your mouth.

5 May they sing of the ways of the LORD,
for the glory of the LORD is great.

6 Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly,
but the proud he knows from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes,
with your right hand you save me.

8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
your love, O LORD, endures forever—
do not abandon the works of your hands.

How would you feel if you know that whatever you do, you have the support of someone who's extremely powerful and influential? Wouldn't you be bold and stouthearted (v3)? This is because you know that when you ask or call for help, that someone will always answer.

All of the above is possible, when you have favour with Jesus - our King of kings and Lord of lords. Like what Pastor Tommy Tenney shared, put on the garment of praise (even when you don't feel like it) if you want God's favour.

But another key point that I think will win us favour with God is that we open our hearts and avail ourselves to be used by the Lord - to allow God's purposes in our lives to be fulfilled, as described in v8.

When I was in NUS Year 3, I begin to ask God what purposes He has for me. I was going to graduate soon, and I wanted to know what kind of work the Lord has in mind for me. I felt the Lord ask me to become a teacher. At first, I wasn't thrilled. I wanted to have a career that would allow me to earn lots of money (not very godly, right?). However, later on, I decided that I wanted God to fulfill His purposes in my life - hence, I went into teaching.

While I was in NUS Year 4 (not even in NIE yet), during one a tribe meeting, I felt the Lord impressed upon me to go Raffles Institution. I kind of said yes, but I didn't know how that can be done. When I was midway in my NIE course, the Lord opened doors for me. I applied for a teaching position in RI and got it!

Because of my obedience, I believed God has also given me many favours in the school. And I'm really glad and I'm at peace in my heart because I know that God will fulfill His purposes for me in RI. My faith in Him had also increased a lot.


My prayer is that I would continue to 1) allow Him to reveal His purposes to me, 2) so that I can obey and 3) He will fulfill His purposes in me.


Things to ponder
1. What is God's purpose for you right where you are now - be it in school or at workplace?
2. Are you acting in obedience to fulfill His purposes for you? If yes, how? If not, why?
3. Pray for yourself to be open and obedient to God's purposes in you. Just leave the results up to the Lord.