If you are looking for Psalm 138 Bible study questions, this set is built for a small group, a Sunday class, or quiet personal reading. Psalm 138 is a short song of thanksgiving in which David praises God for answered prayer, for his faithful love and truth, and for the strength he gives in times of trouble. The questions below move from what the text says, to what it means, to how you might live it this week.
Psalm 138 at a Glance
The psalm opens with a wholehearted promise to give thanks and sing praise, even in the presence of rival powers. David then describes God’s answer to his cry in a time of distress, and he expects that answer to draw the whole world’s kings into praise. The middle verses turn to God’s character: he is high yet attentive to the lowly, and he opposes the proud. The psalm closes with confident trust that God will complete what concerns his servant and will not abandon the work of his own hands.
Keep this flow in mind as you go through the questions. The psalm moves from personal gratitude, to a wider vision of praise, and finally to trust for the future.
Observation Questions
Use these questions first, before anyone offers an interpretation. Ask the group to point to the words on the page and to stay close to what is actually written. Keep the answers short and let several people speak.
Psalm 138:1-3
1 I will give you thanks with my whole heart. Before the gods, I will sing praises to you. 2 I will bow down toward your holy temple, and give thanks to your Name for your loving kindness and for your truth; for you have exalted your Name and your Word above all. 3 In the day that I called, you answered me. You encouraged me with strength in my soul.
(WEB)
Read this opening passage to set the tone for the session. It establishes David’s wholehearted thanks and grounds it in a specific experience of being answered and strengthened, which gives the group a clear starting point for discussion.
Psalm 138:4-5
4 All the kings of the earth will give you thanks, the LORD, for they have heard the words of your mouth. 5 Yes, they will sing of the ways of the LORD; for great is the LORD’s glory.
(WEB)
These verses widen the frame from one person’s gratitude to the praise of the nations. Reading them aloud helps the group feel the scope of God’s glory that the psalm envisions.
Psalm 138:6
For though the LORD is high, yet he looks after the lowly; but the proud, he knows from afar.
(WEB)
This single verse holds the psalm’s central picture of God’s character, high yet attentive to the lowly. Reading it slowly invites the group to reflect on how God’s greatness and nearness fit together.
Psalm 138:7
Though I walk in the middle of trouble, you will revive me. You will stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies. Your right hand will save me.
(WEB)
Reading this verse aloud brings the reality of trouble into the room. It gives the group a concrete promise of God’s reviving and saving action in the middle of difficulty, which anchors the application questions.
Psalm 138:8
The LORD will fulfill that which concerns me; your loving kindness, the LORD, endures forever. Don’t forsake the works of your own hands.
(WEB)
End the reading with this closing confidence. It sums up the psalm’s trust in God’s faithfulness, and it provides a natural bridge into the group prayer at the end of the session.
Memory Verse for Psalm 138
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come to you with thanks in our hearts, because you hear us and strengthen us when we call. Thank you that your loving kindness and your truth endure, and that you look after the lowly even though you are high and holy. Forgive us for the times we give you only part of our hearts, and help us to speak of your faithfulness to the people around us. When we walk through trouble, revive us and steady our souls. Complete the good work you have begun in each of us, and do not forsake the works of your own hands. Amen.
