Read
(A psalm by David and a song for the music leader.)
God Answers Prayer
1Our God, you deserve praise
in Zion, where we keep
our promises to you.
2Everyone will come to you
because you answer prayer.
3When our sins get us down,
you forgive us.
4You bless your chosen ones,
and you invite them
to live near you
in your temple.
We will enjoy your house,
the sacred temple.
5Our God, you save us,
and your fearsome deeds answer
our prayers for justice!
You give hope to people
everywhere on earth,
even those across the sea.
6You are strong,
and your mighty power
put the mountains in place.
7You silence the roaring waves
and the noisy shouts
of the nations.
8People far away marvel
at your fearsome deeds,
and all who live under the sun
celebrate and sing
because of you.
9You take care of the earth
and send rain to help the soil
grow all kinds of crops.
Your rivers never run dry,
and you prepare the earth
to produce abundant grain.
10You water all its fields
and level the lumpy ground.
You send showers of rain
to soften the soil
and help the plants sprout.
11Wherever your footsteps
touch the earth,
a rich harvest is gathered.
12Desert pastures blossom,
and mountains celebrate.
13Meadows are filled
with sheep and goats;
valleys overflow with grain
and echo with joyful songs.
Reflect
Do you regularly take time to stop and thank God for His answered prayers in your life? I don’t mean now and again when you feel a spark, but as a regular discipline regardless of what is going on in your day to day.
My wife and I often play a game we call “21 Praises”. It’s a simple exercise where we list out loud 21 items we are thankful for. The thing is it is best played when we are down or discouraged. It’s a chore to remind ourselves to do it when things aren’t going our way and it’s hard to get started when we are down. That’s why it’s a discipline. But when we bring ourselves to do it, the results are amazing. Joy returns.
In Psalm 65 David is bursting with praise for all God has done. He answers prayer. He forgives the terrible sins that get us down. He invites us to live near Him in His temple. And then David goes macro and enumerates God’s blessings of justice and hope and all the marvels of creation from rain to bountiful harvests to the joyful songs the valleys overflowing with grain sing.
Remember what Paul said in Romans 1:20 about God’s invisible qualities being seen in the visible creation; and Psalm 50:14, that the only sacrifice He wants is for us to be thankful.
Take this psalm to heart today and thank God in each moment for every little thing He has done and will do. And if you run out of those things, look around you, no matter where you are, and thank Him for His invisible qualities He portrays in the visible creation. You have no excuse not to!
Respond
God of earth and heaven and sky, you deserve all my praise. Open my eyes to your surrounding glory and enveloping presence that I might live extravagantly for you and your kingdom purposes today, in Jesus’ name I pray.
James Paterson
James works as a visual artist. His current body of work is a series of metal wire sculptures called Prayer Machines which are whimsically ambiguous machine-like objects that give expression to mystery. “I love to share the gospel message, using art as a bridge, to encourage people in their relationship with Jesus.” He and Lynn have four young adult children. Publications Jim’s Grandiose Big Bible Picture Book (Bastian Books ,2007)