Psalm 66

Late post for yesterday......Good fellowship had over a game of cards and a late night (into the morning....) talk with a friend.

Psalm 66 is about both personal and corporate worship.......praising God's greatness, power, both national and personal deliverance, and forgiveness of sin.  

When we think of God's greatness.....Who He is and all He's done, both historically and personally, what is our reaction and demeanor?  The Psalmist calls for shouts of joy and singing 'out' his honor.  Knowledge of the Holy One elicits an outpouring of worship.

Because of His greatness, all earth will worship Him.  He is the one true and living God.  Israel knows that one day all the pagan nations will recognize that their God reigns.  

Remember.......how he brought them out of Egypt by great and mighty works, and brought them over dry land through the middle of the Red Sea.  Have you ever watched a lake or river bed go dry?   It takes a l-o-n-g time for the muck and mire to dry out once the standing water is gone.  God did this in a matter of a day.  He pushed the waters back and dried the ground so that thousands of Israelites could pass through.    The rebellious (Egyptians) who chased them  certainly didn't exult as God overthrew them there!

Remember.......How He has kept you....and promised that you will not be moved
Remember how He has tested and tried you......through many afflictions that were for your good.....to bring you to rich fulfillment.  He tried us as silver is refined to remove the dross, leaving pure silver.

Remembering all of these things elicits an awe and reverence that must be acted upon, in the OT with sacrifices ordained by God.  Now, a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving and a life that is a living sacrifice is called for.   And a voice that tells others what God has done.

"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened......"

I like what R.C. Sproul says about this in his booklet "Does Prayer Change Things"  page 67 ff.
He is speaking of the 'prohibitions of prayer' or hindrances to prayer.

  ".....could be translated if I had iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have heard." .....
laying down a condition under which his prayer not only would be ineffective but unheard.  The Hebrew word translated 'cherished....(means) merely 'to see'.  In other words if I look at my life and see sin and nurture it, my prayers are an exercise in futility.
      Does that mean that f sin is present in our lives, God refuses to hear our prayers?  No.  If this were so, all prayer would be futile,  However, if our hearts are hardened in a spirit of impenitence, our prayers are not only futile, but a mockery of God.  "


After giving us a reason that the verses of joy preceding this verse could have been vastly different.....David acknowledges that God has heard his prayer and has saved him.  Realizing his sinful nature that deserves none of God's attention.....he is in awe that God, in his great mercy, has not turned away from him.