Read
(A song and a psalm for the music leader.)
Shout Praises to God
1Tell everyone on this earth
to shout praises to God!
2Sing about his glorious name.
Honor him with praises.
3Say to God, “Everything you do
is fearsome,
and your mighty power makes
your enemies come crawling.
4You are worshiped by everyone!
We all sing praises to you.”
5Come and see the fearsome things
our God has done!
6 When God made the sea dry up,
our people walked across,
and because of him,
we celebrated there.
7His mighty power rules forever,
and nothing the nations do
can be hidden from him.
So don't turn against God.
8All of you people,
come praise our God!
Let his praises be heard.
9God protects us from death
and keeps us steady.
10Our God, you tested us,
just as silver is tested.
11You trapped us in a net
and gave us heavy burdens.
12You sent war chariots
to crush our skulls.
We traveled through fire
and through floods,
but you brought us
to a land of plenty.
13I will bring sacrifices
into your house, my God,
and I will do what I promised
14when I was in trouble.
15I will sacrifice my best sheep
and offer bulls and goats
on your altar.
16All who worship God,
come here and listen;
I will tell you everything
God has done for me.
17I prayed to the Lord,
and I praised him.
18If my thoughts had been sinful,
he would have refused
to hear me.
19But God did listen
and answered my prayer.
20Let's praise God!
He listened when I prayed,
and he is always kind.
Reflect
As a worship leader, I instinctually change the “I” and “me” pronouns in praise lyrics to “us” and “we.” After all, corporate worship is a group activity. At the same time, our personal (and often private) experience is frequently where our praise can and must begin. How do we include both the personal and the collective in our worship?
Psalm 66 is a breathtaking hymn of praise written in response to answered prayer. It’s also a beautiful example of the way the “I” of particular experience can be woven into the “us” of the Church.
We know from the final portion of the psalm (vv 13-20) that the occasion for its writing is the resolution of a private crisis. “God did listen and answered my prayer,” declares the psalmist (v 19).
But the writer of Psalm 66 is not content to constrain his experience to the realm of the personal. In verses 5-7, he places his own deliverance in the context of Israel’s history with Yahweh. And in the opening stanza, he sets his worship into an even wider frame with a call to “all the earth” to sing of God’s glory.
The psalmist assumes that the temple is the place where the personal, the corporate, and the cosmic intertwine. We, like the Israelites, are called to gather together. We are invited to “come and see what God has done” in history (v 5), and to “come and listen” to what he is doing in the individual lives of his people (v 16). Only when we worship together do we become greater than the sum of our parts. Collectively, we give voice to creation’s praise, even as we become agents in its redemption.
The psalms show us that a dichotomy between the personal and the communal is false. The proper response to God’s goodness requires all available pronouns. Not to mention shouts of joy (v 1)!
Respond
Yahweh. Thank you that my story with you matters. Thank you, too, that my story is dignified and contextualized within the larger story of what you are doing in your Church. Thank you that the Church’s story is part of your plans for all of creation. Please show me how my part of the story should unfold today. I pray this in the name of your Son, through the power of your Spirit. Amen.
Carolyn Arends
Carolyn Arends (MA, Theological Studies, Regent College), has released 12 award-winning albums and 3 critically-acclaimed books. Her prose has been recognized by The Word Guild, The Evangelical Press Association, and the Canadian Church Press. Carolyn is currently the Director of Education for Renovaré, a far-reaching organization that encourages and nurtures spiritual renewal. She continues to be available on a select basis for speaking, retreat facilitation, concerts, worship leading and songwriting and performance seminars. She lives in Surrey, BC with her husband Mark and their two children. Book Releases 2012 Theology in Aisle 7 (CTE Books) 2008 Wrestling With Angels (Harvest House/ConversantLife)* Album Releases 2014 Christmas: The Story of Stories (2B Records), 2009 Love Was Here First (2B Records/Signpost Music).