Psalm 65 – Thankfulness, for God Is Good!

“Praise is due to you,

O God, in Zion;

and to you shall vows be performed,

O you who answer prayer!”

— Psalm 65:1-2a (NRSV)

Psalms like this brighten our darkest mood. They furnish the soul with life-giving buoyancy when otherwise we are sinking. They engage our hearts for passion and joy, replacing dolour and numbness, even for one relieving moment. God speaks through them, singing to our hearts: the Song of Salvation.

The Plain Deeds Visible In Creation

Much of this psalm is devoted to lauding the majesty of Divine action within the corpus of creation. These deeds of the Almighty—that mean, for us, life—are seen for their saving nature:

Verse 5 speaks of the triple-horn: deliverance, salvation, and hope. It is a beautiful introductory verse for the rest of the psalm that sets about praising the Lord for the wonder and might of Divine work in creation.

God shows Divine strength in creating the mountains; the roaring waves are silenced, as are the groans of the people, by a peace-placating God; much of humanity, those living all over the earth, are awestruck by the everyday signs of the Creator; this Creator provides all the earth’s needs—including humanity’s; even the smallest of cares is considered and catered for; the brilliance of the meandering hills and valleys, and the pastures of the wilderness, overflow.

Living decadence is the gracious manner of the land—and all because of God.

The Song For Joy Is The Bout For Praise

When we revert back from the end of the psalm and read the beginning over again, we find annotations of praise abounding in, and implicit within, this Song of Joy. The psalmist is on no fancy of intoxication, other than having been filled to the brim by the Spirit of Life.

The singing of joyous praises from verse 5 onwards was generated by the first four verses.

And why is this so? God answers prayer (verse 1) and he forgives our transgressions when they overwhelm us (verse 3). The Lord makes those happy that he brings near; within the courts of God is satisfaction (verse 4).

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Finding hope within God’s Word is not such a challenge when we stumble across this psalm. It will help us see the majesty of God in creation; as the Lord provides.

When we trust God to provide all we need we will also see how this Lord provides to the extent of the entire creation. Praise is due to God for all this. The level and detail of Divine provision is astounding; the depths of which cannot be plumbed.

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Experiencing God’s blessing ignites passion for thankfulness and gratitude for the enjoyment of hope and the spiritual unity of shalom. ‘God is good’ is our testimony, and trusting God is our priority, necessity, and focus. God has done, and does, great things!

© 2013 S. J. Wickham.