Psalm 138:1 I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
We know we should sing and pray and praise the Lord and glorify God regardless of whoever is or isn’t listening because God sees it, God hears it, and it pleases Him.
But a thought struck me as I read this verse. Perhaps we should also do all those things because of someone else other than the Lord who might see or hear. David said, “before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.”
It is likely that this reference is to the false gods of the heathen nations round about (the song having a my God is better than your god type of lyric), but the application that came to mind is the fact that there are principalities and powers; there is spiritual wickedness in high places; there are rulers of the darkness of this world; there are unseen hosts with whom we are to wrestle (Ephesians 6:12). And maybe it’d be good for us to let them hear us singing praise to the captain of our salvation.
Not that they would or could jump ship and get back on the right side, but perhaps our song would serve as a good reminder – for us and for them – of just who our God is. The God that they’re up against, and the One who’s on our side.
