Listen

I give thanks to you with all my heart, Lord. I sing your praise before all other gods.

I bow toward your holy temple and thank your name for your loyal love and faithfulness because you have made your name and word greater than everything else.

On the day I cried out, you answered me. You encouraged me with inner strength.

Psalm 138:1-3

Think

Praying can sometimes take the form of singing. Just as Jesus taught his disciples to pray when they asked him (Luke 11:1-4), the book of Psalms teaches us to pray in lots of different ways. In Psalm 138, the psalmist gives us a model for giving thanks. We can use these words as a jumping-off point to say what’s in our own hearts, or maybe there are times when we use these words exactly to help us pray when we really don’t feel like it. In this psalm, the psalmist talks about giving thanks to God with enthusiasm — with their actions (like singing and bowing) and in their heart.

We give thanks to God because God is loyal and faithful in loving us, and because God is greater than all the harmful forces of injustice and selfishness in the world. We give thanks because when we cry out, God hears and answers us. Psalm 138 is a prayer that reminds us to have faith in the God who does things.

Rebecca Poe Hays

Pray

Holy God, I give thanks to you with all my heart, and I remember your acts of justice and faithfulness and love.

Help me to remember and to give thanks.

In the name of Jesus who teaches me to pray, amen.

Go

Just keep praying — just keep PRAYING!