Psalms 65:1

The Bible says in Psalms 65:1, “Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed.” Sion was a name for the city of Jerusalem. David was King in Jerusalem, and therefore he had a lot to say in what would be done there. And also David was master over his own heart. David knew that he was going to praise God, and David was going to keep the commitments that he had made to serve God. It takes faith to praise God. It takes the ability to see the blessings that God has given you and to be thankful to Him for what He has done for you.

The Bible says in Psalms 65:2, “O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.” Of course, God hears prayer. God loves prayer. He loves to hear from His children every word that they lift up to Him. God is the greatest of all social beings. When you pray to the Father in the name of the Son, you are coming to God. You are coming to the very presence of God in heaven. It is the destiny of every human being to come to God. If you do not do it in this life through prayer, then you will come to Him on your knees at your judgment.

The Bible says in Psalms 65:3, “Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.” Iniquities and transgressions: the greatest problem for mankind. They will keep us out of heaven and send us to hell. Thank God that He loves us and designed a plan of salvation through the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. How many of the iniquities and transgressions can Jesus “purge” away: all of them.

The Bible says in Psalms 65:4, “Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.” The greatest blessing of all is to be saved from your sins. There are many ways that the Bible describes salvation: redemption, repentance, forgiveness, a new life in Christ, faith, cleansing, etc. This verse uses the idea of being one of the chosen. Jesus said, “Many are called, but few are chosen.” The Bible teaches that everyone is called because God loves everyone, and Jesus died for everyone, and it says that “whosoever will may come.” But once you are called, you must surrender to the calling and believe in Jesus. Called and chosen: what a blessing to be in that group. They are the only ones who will be in heaven.

The Bible says in Psalms 65:5, “By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea.” The first part of verse five means that God can do such astounding things that those things can really grip the heart of people who observe what God does. What are the astounding things that God does? He answers our prayers. That is astounding. He is our salvation. That is wonderful. And He is our confidence. That is also a great blessing and miracle. To think that a person with no confidence can put their trust in God through the Lord Jesus and become a very confident person: confident that God loves them, confident that their sins are forgiven, confident that they are going to heaven, and confident that they can do all things through Christ who strengthens them.

The Bible says in Psalms 65:6-8, “Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power:[7] Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people[8] They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.” In these verses David is talking about the manifestation of God in God’s creation. One of the problems with modern science is that too often our world and its origin is written about and viewed without seeing the hand of Almighty God. David says that the mountains, the waves of the sea, and the uttermost parts of the earth bear witness to the power of God. God designed this world and brought it into existence. As it says in the first verse of the Bible in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” The fact that God created all the wonders in this world shows His “power.” The word “tokens” means “signs.” The created world and everything in it are signs of God’s existence. If we understood the power of God, we would fear His power, because He can use His power in judgment whenever He wants. Thank the Lord that He is merciful because of Jesus’ death on the cross.

The Bible says in Psalms 65:9-10, “Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.[10] Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof.” These verses talk about rain. Rain symbolizes the blessings of God that pour down from heaven. There is a great gospel song based upon the Biblical statement “Shower of Blessings.” We need the blessings just as we need the rain. If you can see all the blessings of God that are showered upon you every day, then you will realize that you are “greatly” enriched and “abundantly” blessed. Make sure that you always count your blessings and praise Jesus for them.

The Bible says in Psalms 65:11-13, “Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.[12] They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side.[13] The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.” In these verses David continues to talk about the many blessings of God that he sees in the world around him. David looks at the past year and sees “goodness.” That is what God saw after He created life in this world. God said that “it is good.” A person of faith looks on the good side of things. There is goodness everywhere. David saw “fatness.” That means abundance. He saw flocks of sheep in the pastures and fields of corn. These are God’s blessings and God’s goodness to sustain the lives that He has created. God also has provided for us so that we can have spiritual life. Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall live forever.

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