King David may have written this psalm as a song of praise for a festival or as part of a worship liturgy. I commend the entire psalm to your reading; it contains witness after witness to God's loving gifting and blessing for HIs creation. All things and for all things, praise is due to You, O God, in Zion! Today I'd like you to focus on these first few verses, as they highlight the blessed actions God has taken on your behalf.
Psalm 65:1-51 Praise is due to You, O God, in Zion,
and to You shall vows be performed.
2 O You who hear prayer,
to You shall all flesh come.
3 When iniquities prevail against me,
You atone for our transgressions.
4 Blessed is the one You choose and bring near, to dwell in Your courts!
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, the holiness of Your temple!
5 By awesome deeds You answer us with righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas;
Of course, our response to all God's blessings come from our thankfulness and our desire to be like Jesus in all we do. We perform vows, we care for others, we love our neighbor as ourselves, etc.... The greatest and most blessed gift we see in verse three. Our sins prevail against us, they win the battle in our hearts [nota bene: Romans 7:19] and we give into temptations. The penalty for your sins is death [Romans 6:32], but God atones for your sins, Jesus paid for your sins when He died on Calvary's cross! You, I and all who confess their sins to God are truly forgiven and blessed!
Which brings us to the great encouragement for today, seen in verses four and five. Your faith is a gift from God Himself, not a choice you make or any kind of thing you do. If you believe in Jesus Christ, God has drawn you to Himself by grace, see Ephesians 2:8-9. Nothing can separate you from God and the faith He has given you, even though the devil is constantly trying! God has chosen YOU and has brought you near to Himself! God has made YOU holy and has given to YOU His own righteousness!
For His grace, mercy and forgiveness, give thanks to the God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas!
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