Psalm 66 verses 16-20 (NIV)
Come and hear, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what he has done for me.
I cried out to him with my mouth;
his praise was on my tongue.
If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the LORD would not have listened;
but God has surely listened
and has heard my prayer.
Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld his love from me!
Two things leapt out an me from this portion of Psalm 66. Earlier verses record that this was written when David had cried out to God in a time of trouble, and here we read how God brought him through these circumstances and he wants to tell people about it. This reminds me that it is important to share testimony of when God brings us through trials too. As a young Christian I read a lot of testimony books of renowned Christians. The books that were most helpful were the ones that shared the warts and all of their stories – not just their journey to faith but also their mistakes and trials after choosing to follow Jesus. Others opted to share only the positive side of their story. It helps however to be like David and tell how God’s grace has brought us through a time of trouble and hardship. It reminds us of God’s grace and helps others reach out to the Lord in their own hard times.
Secondly, we read that even when David cried out to God in his time of trouble, God’s praise was also on his lips. A phrase I often heard as a younger Christian was that “praise gets the victory.” As an older Christian, now I have found that to be true. Having a time of praise and worship when we don’t feel like it, is what is really meant as a sacrifice of praise, and in my experience, I always feel the benefit of it at the end of the praise time, even if I dragged my feet at the beginning.
Dear Lord,
Thank You for this reminder from David that You are always with us, in good times and hard times, and that in every circumstance You are always worthy of praise for Your goodness and grace. Thank You. Amen.