READ:
Psalms 66-67
Psalms 66 and 67 are both psalms of
praise. We don’t know who authored them, but we do know they were songs to be
sung corporately. Psalm 66 is one of testimony and teaching. God’s people have
used songs like this through generations to pass on the stories of God’s mighty
works to the next generation. There is nothing in the passage to indicate how
this song might be sung, however, the words would indicate a passionate,
rousing song of praise. This is no dirge!
The invitation of this song is found in
verse 5 and 16. “Come and see what God
has done!” The Psalmist wants everyone to know of God’s great and mighty
works. He wants others to praise God with him. There is a sense of burning
urgency in the author, like someone who has found a treasure and cannot keep it
to himself. His testimony of God’s greatness is welling up in his heart and he
wants to brag about His God. O, come and see!
This praise is possible not just
because God did such amazing things but because he is forgiven. He says if he
had cherished sin in his heart God wouldn’t have listened to his prayers, and
so much of his reason for praise would not have happened. When we confess our
sin and allow God to expose what’s hidden, God freely forgives, listens to our
prayers and doesn’t withhold His love from us. If ever there was a reason to
sing – that would be it!
Psalm 67 is a prayer of blessing. The
first verse is a blessing we can say over others and ourselves. This blessing
invites God’s pleasure over those we are praying for. Verse two begins a
blessing we offer to God. When we understand God’s heart we know He longs for
the hearts of people. The words in this blessing must thrill God’s heart! He
wants to see the nations be glad and joyful in His presence. This is the
ultimate desire of God, to have all His creation praise Him.
In the last verse we see again the relationship
between God and His people. This psalm expresses the relationship we have with
Him. When we draw near to God and praise Him, in relationship with Him, He will
in turn bless us. This personal relationship such a powerful God has with His
subjects, His creation, is both tender and terrible. For if God loves those
people so much, He will guard and protect them. This is what causes fear in
those who do not know Him.
JOURNALING
AND PRAYER
1. Ask the Lord to give you a list of
mighty things He has done in your life. Then ask Him to give you a passion to
share your testimony with others. Take 5-10 minutes to prepare a testimony of
something God has done in your life recently. Ask Him who He wants you to share
it with. You might send it by email, make a phone call to say, ‘Guess what God
did for me’, or mention it casually at school or work. Practice over the next
5-7 days sharing the wonderful things God is doing for you every day with at
least one person.
2. Ask God to examine the hidden parts of
your heart and life to see if there is any unconfessed sin, big or small. Offer
a confession to the Lord for any sin He reveals. Thank Him for forgiveness.
3. Ask the Lord for 2-3 names of leaders
you have. They could be teachers, employers, parents, spiritual leaders, governmental
leaders, etc. Write down their names. Then take time to pray Psalm 67 vs 1-2
over each one. Add to your prayer things you know to pray for the individual or
according to what the Holy Spirit reveals to you. (To pray Scripture, insert
the individual’s name and appropriate pronoun to make the verse make sense. For
example, “God, please be gracious to Stephen Harper and bless him, and make
your face shine on him so your ways may be known in his life and that your
salvation would be known in his personal life and in his family.”)
