Gò0dNews from the Pastor’s Desk
How Much Do You Weigh?
I
by Brian Branam
n 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? Can you imagine going through the day walking up
God is. 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 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 my mind is stayed on Scripture, I can concentrate. 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” cyber-
through 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. How do we increase the strength of our soul? From Psalm 138 we can draw some solid principles. 1. Thankfulness from the whole heart (verse 1). The Psalms are not trite songs and prayers that mindlessly look for the good in every situation. If anything, the Psalms are honest
It cannot be measured on the scale, but you feel the weight of the day. The situation may not change, but the soul has the potential to be strengthened. Prayer, singing, bowing before God, staying the mind on truth—these are the things that increase the strength of the soul. How much do you weigh today?
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
6 // July 2020
About The Author
songs and prayers. They are the anthems of heavy souls. In 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.
