Psalm 138

1 I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart; I will sing your praises before the gods.
2 I bow before your holy Temple as I worship. I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.
3 As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength.
4 Every king in all the earth will thank you, Lord, for all of them will hear your words.
5 Yes, they will sing about the Lord’s ways, for the glory of the Lord is very great.
6 Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud.
7 Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will protect me from the anger of my enemies. You reach out your hand, and the power of your right hand saves me.
8 The Lord will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me.

We don't believe in gods. We believe in God.

But our Psalmist believes in gods. He says "I will sing your praises before the gods" because:
1. His love and faithfulness never fails
2. His promises are backed by all the honor of His name.
3. He answers prayer
4. He encourages and strengthens us.

It's our Psalmists way of saying "I recognize the world around me "calls on" many gods to intercede for them, but my God stands supreme among them."

So, what is it with these other "gods?"

Our English word "god" derives from a 6th century German word which meant either "to call" or "to invoke. We began capitalizing the word "God" to distinguish between the monotheistic God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob...and the polytheistic gods of other religions.

So...who might these other god's be? Well, anybody, or anything, we call on for help.

Might our spouse be our god...if we believe they are responsible for our well-being?
Might our job be our god...if we believe we cannot make ends meet without our paycheck?
Might our government be our god...if we believe our health will fail without it's intervention?

I'm beginning to become concerned that we DO believe in gods. We, as people of faith, look many places for help. We invoke the power and authority of many entities to save us. But in the end...are they faithful? Do they answer us? Do they give us strength and courage?

No...not dependably. So why bother to invoke them at all? Furthermore, a time is coming when all the earth will see it the same way. "Every king in all the earth will thank you, Lord, for all of them will hear your words. Yes, they will sing about the Lord’s ways, for the glory of the Lord is very great."
Why? because "though we are surrounded by troubles, He will protect us from the anger of our enemies...the power of His right hand saves us. The Lord will work out His plans for our lives—for His faithful love endures forever".
Can other god's do that? Of course not...

One of the great traditions of Christianity is that we are "monotheists". We believe there are no other gods. So...we don't even bother to ask around.

As they say "dance with the one who brung you!"

Live boldly out there today...