Studies in the Psalms - Psalm 65

Since today is Monday, if I asked you, “When is the last time you spent time praising God?”, the typical response would probably be, “yesterday”. Sundays is the day we set aside to go to church and church is often called the ‘worship” service. If you call yourself a Christian and only worship God on Sundays, then you are in a dangerous place. God is worthy of our praise every single day. We must make every waking moment of our lives a celebration of God. We must have thankful hearts that offer God our worship and our praise every day. Psalm 65 is a good psalm to pray through to give God the glory He is due.

Psalm 65:1

Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion, and to you shall vows be performed.

We must live out our lives by complete devotion to Him and in this psalm, we see many of the blessings we take for granted.

Psalm 65:2-3
O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come.  When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions.

Be thankful for salvation, which through Christ has offered us forgiveness from the sins that separate us from God. Feeling like you have nothing to be thankful this morning? How about this fact.

Lamentations 3:22-23
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;  they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

God never tires of us seeking His forgiveness, despite our unfaithfulness. It is His faithfulness that saves us.

Psalm 65:4
Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!

If you are Christ’s, it is because He chose you. He called you out of your sin. Through Jesus and His righteousness, we can dwell with God again.

Psalm 65:5-8
By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas;  the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might;  who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples,  so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.

Turn on your TV and watch the news. Things look hopeless. But they are not to those whose hope is in the God who established the mountains and who can still the roaring seas.

Psalm 65:9-13
You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it.  You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.  You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.  The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.

Look out at the creation and you will see that all creation is blessed by God. Like the meadows, watered and made green by God, we must shout and sing together for joy. Not just on Sundays, but on every single day we live.

God has blessed us Christians. Praise your God and fulfill your vows to Him.