URC Daily Devotion Sunday 16 August 2026

Psalm 138  

I thank you, Lord, with all my heart,
You have heard the words of my mouth.
In the presence of the angels I will bless you.
I will adore before your holy temple.
I thank you for your faithfulness and love
which excel all we ever knew of you.
On the day I called, you answered;
you increased the strength of my soul.

All earth’s kings shall thank you
when they hear the words of your mouth.
They shall sing of the Lord’s ways:
“How great is the glory of the Lord!”

The Lord is high yet he looks on the lowly
and the haughty he knows from afar.
Though I walk in the midst of affliction
you give me life and frustrate my foes.

You stretch out your hand and save me,
your hand will do all things for me.
Your love, O Lord, is eternal,
discard not the work of your hands.

Reflection

I was full of curiosity when I was a child, indeed I still am. I had two older siblings who were in school long before I could walk and talk.  This meant I mainly grew up in adult company and asked endless questions.  I remember asking early on ‘what’s it like when I’m not there?’  I wanted to know not only how things worked but how people thought and what motivated them.

I still find it hard to visualise the lives of other generations, never mind those so long ago as in the days of the Psalms.  It seems an impossible task until we remember they were people just like us. They loved, they laughed, and they lost loved ones.  They worried about their children and grandchildren, their elderly parents and the ill. They needed shelter, food, and a livelihood.  Basically, their needs are ours.  And, like us, they called to the Lord praising him in both good times and bad.

Unlike most of us,  they had very little, if any, sources of aid.  Their family and tribe would offer what support they had but if, for instance, there was famine or plague they were all in the same situation. Some in the world now have nothing to fall back on.
Note the Psalmist praises the Lord whatever the situation. They not only praise the Lord for his goodness in the time of their affliction “on the day that I called, you answered; you increased the strength of my soul.” but praised God for giving them more than they had asked.  At the end of the passage we read “Your love, O Lord, is eternal, discard not the work of your hands”.  This is a recognition that God’s love is not just for that day but forever,  that the Lord is constant in his love and what he does for us. 

Prayer

Help us remember, Lord, 
to praise you every day whatever the situation.  
It is hard to remember Your love when we are in the depths
yet when we cry out You answer.  
Remind us that You are always with us, 
even when we cannot feel Your presence.  
We acknowledge Your goodness and never ending love,  
and pray that we might share that love with others 
and proclaim your greatness.   Amen