Do You Agree? Psalm 65

A text – Psalm 65:1-8

¹ Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion, and to you shall vows be performed,
² O you who answer prayer! To you all flesh shall come.
³ When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our transgressions.
⁴ Happy 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.

⁵ By 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.
⁶ By your strength you established the mountains; you are girded with might.
⁷ You silence the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples.
⁸ Those 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.

A reflection:

When we read the psalms today, knowing how very old they are, this one between 2500 and 3000 years old, we might marvel at the fact that we can relate at all to the words and their meaning. We might also marvel that what meant something so long ago might mean something similar now to us.

This one, believed by some scholars to have been written by King David, vows that we humans owe worship to the Lord – all of us all over the earth – because the Lord answers prayer, forgives our failings and misdeeds, and provides hope and protection and joy.

The question for us this Friday, I guess, is do we agree with the psalmist? Do we owe our existence to God? Do we owe God worship for the many things God provides for us, such as creation, survival on this planet, forgiveness, protection, hope, and joy? Or do we think we’re just here on our own, doing what we can, and earn whatever we have by our own blood, sweat, and tears, and there’s no one helping us?

I believe, I would say I know, that the Holy Spirit is present in our world and coming into our lives. I have stories and have heard stories from others of witnessing the Holy Spirit’s action in our lifetime, here, now, in these days. You needn’t look far to find evidence that God is still answering, forgiving, and providing hope, protection, and joy. Read this passage aloud this week, and you may discover stories of your own and of those you love. As our Isaiah passage told us this week, God’s action never ever ends.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for loving our world enough to still be nurturing it and us. Help us to acknowledge your love and power, and always to ask you what you have for us to do each day, We can be part of your action in our world. Amen.