Commonplace –
“O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory” (Psalm 108:1).
Again and again, I am drawn to the words ‘my heart is fixed’. Those words have shown up in multiple psalms. They encourage me to fix my heart on God.
Matthew Henry points out that this psalm is actually a combination of two prior psalms.
“The former part is taken out of Ps. 57:7, etc., the latter out of Ps. 60:5, etc., and both with very little variation, to teach us that we may in prayer use the same words that we have formerly used, provided it be with new affections” (Henry 533).
I especially appreciate Henry’s point that our prayers may use the same words, but they must be infused with new spirit. It is convicting! Often at mealtimes, our family repeats the same prayer; sometimes, it is very quick. Henry encourages us that using the same prayer is not wrong, but we must ponder the words and mean them.
Works Cited
Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 108.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.
Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.
© 2025 Angela Hormberg
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