Catholic Commentary on Psalm 108

"My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul." (Psalm 108:1)

A Composite of Praise and Petition

Psalm 108 combines sections of two earlier psalms, Psalm 57 and Psalm 60, weaving them into a new prayer that moves from personal confidence to communal petition. The opening declares a steadfast heart, the resolute will to praise that does not depend on circumstances: My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul. The steadfast heart is not the heart that never wavers in feeling but the heart that maintains its direction of will toward God even through changing emotional weather.

The psalm then moves to petition for national deliverance. God's sovereignty over the surrounding nations is declared, and then comes the honest admission: the help of man is worthless. Only with God will they do valiantly. This movement from personal praise to communal petition mirrors the movement of the Lord's Prayer: the personal address, Father, moves to the communal petition for the Kingdom. Individual steadfastness in praise and communal dependence on God are not in tension; they belong together in the life of the Church. The Catechism calls the Church the community of those whose hearts are set on the same Lord and who together cry out for his Kingdom (CCC 2790).

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, is your heart steadfast toward God today, or is it blown about by the latest emotional weather? The steadfast heart does not claim to be unmoved. It claims to be oriented: whatever I feel, I will sing; with all my soul, whatever the circumstances of the morning. Make that decision before you open anything else today.

Prayer

Lord God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make music with all my soul. With you we will gain the victory. The help of man is worthless, but with God we will do valiantly. Be our God in the morning and our strength through the day. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

108
Israel’s Kingdom Blessing
(Psalms 57:1–11; Psalms 60:1–12)
A song. A Psalm of David.
 
1 My heart is steadfast, O God;
I will sing and make music with all my being.* 108:1 Or with my glory
2 Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
3 I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations;
I will sing Your praises among the peoples.
4 For Your loving devotion extends beyond the heavens,
and Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
may Your glory cover all the earth.
6 Respond and save us with Your right hand,
that Your beloved may be delivered.
 
7 God has spoken from His sanctuary:† 108:7 Or in His holiness
“I will triumph!
I will parcel out Shechem
and apportion the Valley of Succoth.
8 Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim is My helmet, Judah is My scepter.
9 Moab is My washbasin;
upon Edom I toss My sandal;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
 
10 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
11 Have You not rejected us, O God?
Will You no longer march out, O God, with our armies?
12 Give us aid against the enemy,
for the help of man is worthless.
13 With God we will perform with valor,
and He will trample our enemies.

*108:1 108:1 Or with my glory

†108:7 108:7 Or in His holiness

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