Psalm 66:1-9 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 66:1-9 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;
Verse 2sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise.
Verse 3Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.
Verse 4All the earth worships you; they sing praises to you, sing praises to your name." Selah
Verse 5Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.
Verse 6He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There we rejoiced in him,
Verse 7who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations- let the rebellious not exalt themselves. Selah
Verse 8Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard,
Verse 9who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip.
Devotion
This is not the psalm that those who know me well would associate with me. Very rarely has anyone ever accused me of being gushy with praise! This psalm raises an important question though: How do we bless God?
Typically, we don’t think about our relationship with God in those terms. We tend to see ourselves as the receiver of blessings: we ask for them, we give thanks for them, we lament when they are absent in our lives. Yet, the psalmist exhorts us, “Bless our God, O peoples.”
So what would it mean for us to bless God in and with our lives? Perhaps we would see God’s place in our life as less transactional, and more relational. Blessing would become less of a “thing” we give or get and more an expression of the freedom and strength that come when we live in intimate relationship with God.
Prayer
Gracious God, help us to bless you with every breath of our being, whether we are young, old, or anywhere in between. Amen.
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