Psalm Meditation 1346 ¶Easter ¶April 5, 2026 ¶Psalm 65 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2065&version=NRSVUE ¶Praising God is an act that benefits us as much, if not more, than God. God is not one who needs to know that we are grateful for all the wonderful things God does for us. God acts out of love for us rather than to receive our gratitude. We give thanks to serve as a reminder to us that God is at work in our lives, providing health and wholeness in a variety of ways. Some of those ways are beyond our willingness and ability to comprehend. God’s loving action does not increase or decrease because of our thankfulness or lack of it. ¶When good things do seem to increase because we are thankful, it may well be because we are open to experience the work of God in our lives. When we are open to good things we see the awesome deeds of deliverance and salvation that are a constant in each of our lives. When we are open to goodness, we find that goodness if accompanied by hope, even when life in and around us is not conducive to hopefulness. If nothing else, knowing that God loves us no matter what, is a great reason to hope. ¶As hopeful people we begin to see the goodness of God in ordinary things. Wind and rain, the cycles of seasons, the beauty of planned and unplanned areas of the world around us remind us that God’s rich, creative variety is there for us to enjoy or bemoan. Variety gives us the opportunity see that a wide array of tastes is a reason we are able to lift our voices in praise for the providence of God. ¶March 30, 2026 ¶LCM