Tuesday 14th June 2016 - Daily Reading:
Psalm 66 - A Revelation
We are back in Psalm 66 today to find out what happens after we have commanded our souls to “Wake up!” and start praising God!
Once the psalmist has invited us to worship, he then gives us a few good reasons to praise God. You will find this pattern in many of the praise Psalms: a command to worship, followed immediately by a revelation of who we are worshipping and what he has done for us.
This is important because our worship of God should be our natural response to his holiness and his goodness. When we consider the work of his hands, how can we not praise him? If our worship does not come from this response to God’s worthiness, then the risk is that we will be driven along by our own emotional state, or by the quality of the music on offer. When our emotional state is not good, or we don’t like the worship songs that day, where is our worship then?
Our worship of God must be focused on God himself. It is not for us, it is for him! In Psalm 66, the psalmist refers to God’s miraculous rescue of the Israelites from Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea. In our own lives we will also be able to recall God’s goodness towards us and, more than that, we can praise him for who he is – faithful redeemer, wonderful saviour, strong deliverer, loving father.
Think of the songs you sing at church or listen to at home. Which ones speak of God’s mighty works and his character? These are the songs that remind us who we are worshipping and why. Often the old hymns are rich with descriptions of God’s deeds, his faithfulness and mercy towards us, and his glory.
So, like the psalmists, let our worship begin with a declaration of the majesty of God and specific praise and thanksgiving for his goodness towards us.
“Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven – who like me his praise should sing? Praise him! Praise him! Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise the everlasting King!”