Psalm 65:1-13 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 65:1-13 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion; and to you shall vows be performed,
Verse 2O you who answer prayer! To you all flesh shall come.
Verse 3When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our transgressions.
Verse 4Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to live in your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple.
Verse 5By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas.
Verse 6By your strength you established the mountains; you are girded with might.
Verse 7You silence the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples.
Verse 8Those who live at earth's farthest bounds are awed by your signs; you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.
Verse 9You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it.
Verse 10You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.
Verse 11You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
Verse 12The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy,
Verse 13the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.
Devotion
Unlike the psalmist, I sometimes have difficulty seeing that which is praiseworthy. It is not that I don’t have more than enough. I certainly do. As I look around the world, however, I see my sisters and brothers suffering unbearably. A psalm of lament would I sing.
But even amidst destruction and despair, one can find goodness. I think of the two college students from Kentucky who were among the first to respond to the hurricane victims in New Orleans. Commandeering a boat, they searched for and rescued those poor folks stranded in their flooded homes.
Then I remember seeing the young woman standing in front of a Palestinian home, trying to shield it from the oncoming bulldozer. Tragically, she failed, losing her life in the process. We don’t know her full story, but we can be inspired by her steadfastness. May we be such an example of goodness when the “deeds of iniquity overwhelm us.”
Prayer
God of righteousness, help me to spend more time looking for your hand in this world. Show me the goodness that comes from you alone and encourage acts of kindness in my life. Amen.