Among the Nations
Opening Prayer
Father, show me what You want me to learn from Your Word today.
Read Psalm 66
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.”
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—
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.
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.
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!
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Are you feeling grateful to God today, or desperate?This psalm starts out with a universal emphasis, recalls the deliverance of the nation of Israel and the circumstances of God’s often rebellious people, and finally ends with the psalmist’s own words of worship.
As a psalm of praise many of these words could have come out of the mouth of the people we know of from the gospels, such as Jairus, the demon-possessed man, or the woman with the flow of blood: “Come and see what God has done… he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping” (5,9).
But it could also have come out of the mouth of John the Baptist, in prison and uncertain of his future. While this psalm remembers a great act of redemption, its historical setting is not clear. Some commentators believe it comes from the time of Hezekiah, at a time of personal crisis and national disaster. In this case, the psalm is a defiant reminder of God’s universal reign and power, despite present circumstances, remembering that God has indeed acted powerfully in history and will continue to do so in the future.
Apply
Ask God to act powerfully in your life and in the lives of those around you.
Closing prayer
Lord God, remind me of all the things that You have done for me in the past. I trust You for my future.
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