How Much Do You Weigh?

by Brian Branam

In Psalm 138:3, David writes, “On the day I called, you even in Psalms of hopelessness, there is thankfulness. In Psalm answered me; my strength of soul you increased.” 138:1, he sings praise to his God before the gods. Our soul is

Life is heavy. There is a weight in situations and strengthened in the song of thankfulness. The situation may not circumstances that cannot be measured with a scale. There is no change, but a burdened soul finds resolute strength when we physical mass to a hard day, but you still feel the weight of it. take a moment to enter into the equation of our situation who

How heavy is the soul? God is.

Can you imagine going through the day walking up 2. Bowing the body in prayer, daily (verse 2). Notice in to friends, acquaintances, and strangers and asking them a the second verse how David bows toward the Temple. It is the common question: “How much do you weigh today?” Talk same as saying, “I bow before God.” The posture of our body about getting personal! reflects the posture of our heart. When we bow before God, we songs and prayers. They are the anthems of heavy souls. In are not only expressing reverence but humility and vulnerability. When arresting someone, a policeman says, “Hands up where I can see them.” If the hands are up, it is assumed there will be no defense. Bowing is the “hands up” of the soul. It is the posture of total surrender. There is no surrender in religious ritual. Have you taken time in prayer today to bow before God? Bowing requires that you stop what you are doing. It requires that you get on your face. The soul is strengthened in holy vulnerability.

3. Remembering the plans, purposes, and

promises of God (verses 4-8). I will admit, it is difficult for me to pray for long periods of time. The digi-brain is easily distracted. Smartphones are the death of meditation and the attention span. Yet when

And so I will start the day with you: how much do you What I am writing this morning is due to my time praying weigh today? I can ask because I am at a safe “no-slap” cyberthrough Psalm 138; my strength of soul has been increased— distance from you through the blog. Yet I can also ask because and so I blog. In verses 4-8, David is citing what he has found I am not speaking of the weight of your body but the weight to be true of God by experience, but for the most part, he is of your soul. How about the weight of your day? Perhaps the reciting back to God what he knows to be true of Him from His weight of your situation or of the body you and I mindlessly Word. The world is unwound right now, but we know how the carry around day by day? I think very little of 211. I’m so used to story ends. Truth strengthens the soul. it, I don’t feel it. But the weight of the soul, I feel it. So do you. It cannot be measured on the scale, but you feel the weight

How do we increase the strength of our soul? From Psalm of the day. The situation may not change, but the soul has the 138 we can draw some solid principles. potential to be strengthened. Prayer, singing, bowing before 1. Thankfulness from the whole heart (verse 1). The God, staying the mind on truth—these are the things that Psalms are not trite songs and prayers that mindlessly look for increase the strength of the soul. the good in every situation. If anything, the Psalms are honest How much do you weigh today? my mind is stayed on Scripture, I can concentrate. 6 // July 2020 fact, there is a small collection of them that in Latin are referred to as misery Psalms, the foremost of them being Psalm 51. Yet About The Author Brian Branam is the Pastor of Liberty Baptist Church, a multi-site church in NW Georgia. For more of his material visit www.FeelMyFaith.com.

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