Jason Martin

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I am a husband and father of 8. I write, draw, sing, teach and pastor in Beaver Falls, PA.

He Won't Let Go

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Thoughts on Psalm 138… and the fishermen who leave their catch.

When my kids were younger I would occasionally put them on my shoulders for a fun ride or maybe a better look. Some were braver than others and would remain unfazed when I held them with only one hand or whether I gripped their ankles at all.

Other kids, however, were more bossy. The told me where to grab ahold of them and made sure I held tightly with both hands. If they thought for a second I was going to be careless in my carrying, they would inevitably ask to be put down.

I assured them my hands would not let go.

In Psalm 138, the Psalmist reflects on the ways of the Lord. As he remembers God’s steadfast love and faithfulness in his own life, he anticipates a worldwide response of praise. He believes the kings of the earth will one day worship the Lord because of the way God regards the lowliest on the earth.

Not only does that say something about the depth of God’s attention to those he has made, but it also speaks to the kind of transformation that will take place in the hearts of kings.

As the Psalmist reflects on this reality, he turns to the Lord in his time of need. Walking in the midst of trouble, his enemies are pressing in on him. And where we might expect him to ask for help, he instead relies on hope. An unshaken expectation that rests in the unfailing preservation of God and his promise to rescue.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.

Do not forsake the work of your hands. – Psalm 138:7-8

We can take for granted the last phrase in the psalm. “Do not forsake the work of your hands.”

Hearing it as often as we do, we don’t give ourselves the time and space to be gripped by its force.

In a very real sense, all of creation rides on those words.

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