Psalm 138:2

I will bow down toward your holy temple

and give thanks to your name

for your constant love and truth.

I sit here writing this devotional as I watch my mother dying right before my eyes.

Though her health has been declining for the past two years, we got the official diagnosis on September 28th.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

ALS.

My only knowledge of ALS before my mother’s health deteriorated was the viral ice bucket challenge from a few years ago. Basically nothing other than it’s a horrifying disease.

I’ve since learned the nerves in your body slowly die causing you to lose the ability to walk, then use your arms, often times you can no longer speak, all the while your mind stays fully intact.

ALS is a nightmare for the person experiencing it and devastating to those who are watching it happen to their loved one.

When things are going well in life, it’s easy to grow complacent. Or to focus on the blessings rather than the One who blesses.

There is nothing like crushing circumstances to remind us of our need for God. And to be reminded of the truth of His character.

I will bow down toward your holy temple

and give thanks to your name

for your constant love and truth.

From these 3 lines of Scripture we glean great insight into Who God is and how we should respond:

The Truth Of God’s Character

• He is holy and should be approached with reverence.

• We should give thanks to His Name (not just for what He’s done in our lives)

• His love is constant (We can’t be good enough to earn His love, and because of His character, we can’t be so bad to be unloved by Him.) “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

• His truth (the only truth) never changes. (Despite the fickleness of this world, screaming self love and encouraging us to live ‘our’ truth, God’s truth is immutable.)

In Conclusion

Today, in the midst of the hard, I praise God for loving me enough to send His Son to die on a cross for my sins so that I can spend eternity with Him.

Today I praise God that His grace is sufficient because He is always bigger than any circumstance.

Today I bow down and cry Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God almighty.

What part of God’s character are you most thankful for today?