Psalms Reading – 3.3.2022
Psalm 66
For the director of music. A song. A psalm.
1 Shout for joy to God, all the earth! 2 Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious.
3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.
4 All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name.”
3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.
4 All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name.”
5 Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind!
6 He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot—come, let us rejoice in him.
7 He rules forever by his power, his eyes watch the nations—
6 He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot—come, let us rejoice in him.
7 He rules forever by his power, his eyes watch the nations—
let not the rebellious rise up against him.
8 Praise our God, all peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard;
9 he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.
10 For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver.
11 You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.
12 You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water,
but you brought us to a place of abundance.
9 he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.
10 For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver.
11 You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.
12 You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water,
but you brought us to a place of abundance.
13 I will come to your temple with burnt offerings and fulfill my vows to you—
14 vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble.
15 I will sacrifice fat animals to you and an offering of rams; I will offer bulls and goats.
14 vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble.
15 I will sacrifice fat animals to you and an offering of rams; I will offer bulls and goats.
16 Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue.
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;
19 but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer.
20 Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!
17 I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue.
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;
19 but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer.
20 Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!
This joyous psalm of praise celebrates God’s deliverance. The unnamed psalmist recalls God’s miraculous work at the Red Sea and the Jordan River. He calls on all the earth to praise God and testify to his awesome deeds. This psalm highlights God’s sovereignty so everyone should bow down and sing praise to the God of Israel because He is the God of the world.
In declaring that God is the only God over the world, the psalmist implies what God did for Israel, He will do the same for all people who humbly respond to His leadership. If we are a Gentile Christian, we are the ultimate heirs and fulfillment of this vision. We are among “all the peoples” whom God loves and cares for. We are the ones He preserves and protects.
The second half of this song is the psalmist’s personal thanksgiving for answered prayers. The reason the psalmist wants all the earth and all its peoples to praise God comes from his own personal experience of God’s answer to prayer. It is not something he wants to keep to himself but desires others to see and hear what God has done. This is the heart of an evangelist, one who tells others the good news of God’s salvation.
God’s answer to prayer is meant to be our testimony and not kept to oneself. In his praise of God, the psalmist, also, teaches us that if we harbor sin in our hearts, if we refuse to confess our sin, our prayers will not be heard and will go unanswered.
Memory Verse: Psalm 63:7, Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.
Question(s) to Consider: What answered prayer are you celebrating today? Have you given praise to God? Who have you told?