Psalm 66
Sunday, 09 June 2024
You let people ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water,
but you brought us to a place of abundance. -Psalm 66:12
The Psalmist commences by calling on all the earth to glorify His name by extolling the glorious works of God the Creator and ends with what this great and Mighty God had done for him—who is but a speck of dust in the vastness of the universe. This psalm showcases how mindful our God is towards us, His wonderfully and fearfully created work. Vs. 5 invites us to see His mighty dealings with men.
Verses 6 to 9 speak about His protection while He sets to work in our lives. Verses 10 to 12 speak about how He refines us.
Repentance: Vs 12 explains all that they passed through was to bring them to a place of abundance. For us today the place of abundance is in Christ (John 10:10). So He refines us to bring in repentance in us so that times of refreshing could come in His presence. Acts 3:19 says: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…” The Amplified Bible version explains repentance—“change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins...” Typically, tough times in life help us do an inward search to see if there is anything in life that displeases God and we turn to Him in repentance.
So let us not be surprised at the trials that comes our way for it is to renew us and bring us to that broad place of abundance as the key verse says. James 1:2-4 reinforces the thought: “Consider It all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
Sacrifice: All the above led to praise rising from within the Psalmist and culminated in him wanting to offer a sacrifice to God in fulfillment of the vow he had made when in distress (V.15). How much more should we offer Him sacrifices for the awesome work of the cross which bought us redemption, justification and continuous sanctification through His precious blood. In return for what He did for us all that is asked from us is the offering of ourselves—Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
Sweet Smelling Aroma: The Psalmist in Vs. 15 wants the burnt offerings of the fat of lambs to be offered along with the sweet smoke of rams. Likewise let us also be a living sacrifice whose aroma is the sweet fragrance of Christ. 2 Corin.2:15: For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
Witnessing: When the above process is complete the Psalmist in Vs 16 wants to tell everyone about what God had done for Him. Likewise we too should tell others what God did for us by sending His One and only Son as a propitiation for our sins so that none will perish but live eternally with Him. How can all know about this great sacrifice unless we who have received His grace, speak about it to those who are not aware of it? Romans 10: 14 "…And how can they trust in someone if they haven’t heard about Him? And how can they hear about someone if no one is proclaiming Him?" Brothers and sisters, are we grateful for His salvation in our lives? Let us then proclaim it to others who need to hear it! Remember the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20!
A Call: “Come and hear, all you who fear God, And I will declare what He has done for my soul.” (Psalm 66:16)
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