Showing posts with label Psalm 66. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Psalm 66. Show all posts
Monday, May 18, 2026
Psalm Meditation 1353
¶Pentecost
¶May 24, 2026
¶Psalm 66
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2066&version=NRSVUE
¶I know there are people who see me as stupid or deluded because I believe in God, and God’s willingness and ability to provide for us as a gift of loving generosity. I am, mostly, okay with that. I am also aware that there are folks who will not be happy until everyone believes and practices the way they do. Some of those folks are staunch believers in God, while others are just as firm in their different, even opposite beliefs. I am not okay with those who press their beliefs as the one and only true way to believe and practice.
¶The psalmist wants people to offer praise to God for all of the awesome things that God has done and is doing in the world for the psalmist’s people. It is likely that the psalmist is inviting ‘my kind of people’ to join in these acts of praise and worship. The people outside of ‘our’ circle are free to worship their own way. The outsiders have punished us just as we would do to them given the opportunity. Through it all, the psalmist calls all those who will to worship, to hear the ways God has been with one person, and will also be present with each person who seeks to follow the ways of God.
¶God has been among us in many ways throughout salvation history and those who see divine activity in the world have been giving thanks for many years and in many ways. We offer our worship, thanks, and praise from our own hearts in gratitude for God’s presence among us. As we live out our gratitude to the best of our ability, others will notice and perhaps ask what we have that is missing in them. At our best, we can walk with them as they find their way to God.
¶May 18, 2026
¶LCM
Monday, June 12, 2023
Psalm Meditation 1200
¶Proper 6
¶June 18, 2023
¶Psalm 66
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+66&version=NRSVUE
(NRSV)
¶My psychology teacher my senior year in high school gave us a test, the first day, at least the first week. She wanted to know what we knew about psychology before she began teaching. If we all knew the same things she could brush past that area and spend more time on what we didn’t know. I may have had pre-tests before and after that, however this is the only time I remember a teacher giving a rationale for that kind of test. Maybe, even probably, teachers explained the reasoning behind a pre-test, I simply don’t remember anyone else doing it.
¶Pre-testing is a part of quality control in product design. A friend of ours was in product development for medical equipment. Quality Control sent them a report that they had dropped a 200-300 pound weight from 6 feet above onto a medical exam table and the table did not survive the test. I wondered how often a person of that size falls onto an exam table from that height. Our friend agreed, as did the rest of the development team, so they decided to wait for a more realistic test to be run. While it may be important to test for worst case scenarios, it is not always necessary to design for them; that’s what warning stickers are for.
¶When God tests us, it can certainly seem as if we are in a worst case scenario. Most of us know that the adage, “God won’t give us more than we can handle.” is nowhere near true. The truth is closer to, God is with us no matter what, pointing us in the direction that will bring us closer to reflecting the image of God in ourselves as we see it in those around us. As people with free will, we get ourselves into all sorts of messy and dangerous situations which some folks see as God testing us. The important part is knowing that the steadfast love of God is with us no matter where our choices lead us. “Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me.”
¶June 12, 2023
¶LCM
Monday, March 27, 2017
Psalm Meditation 876
Fifth Sunday in Lent
April 2, 2017
Psalm 66
1 Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;
2 sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise.
3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.
4 All the earth worships you; they sing praises to you, sing praises to your name.” Selah
5 Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.
6 He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There we rejoiced in him,
7 who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations—
let the rebellious not exalt themselves. Selah
8 Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard,
9 who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip.
10 For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.
11 You brought us into the net; you laid burdens on our backs;
12 you let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water;
yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.
13 I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will pay you my vows,
14 those that my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
15 I will offer to you burnt offerings of fatlings, with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams; I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah
16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me.
17 I cried aloud to him, and he was extolled with my tongue.
18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
19 But truly God has listened; he has given heed to the words of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me.
(NRSV)
There are people who are saints in my estimation who find themselves wondering if there is a place in heaven for them. As their story is told an episode comes to light about a particular dark sin committed in the past that, to them, damages their chances of ever getting into heaven. Like many of us they are both repulsed by this action and drawn into it. One of my older relatives discovered that one of her parents had been married and divorced prior to her birth. To her, that made her an illegitimate child. This was a source of great shame to her. At the same time, she refused to let it go. As the psalmist says she, “cherished iniquity in my heart,”
Because she was unable to let go of this sin that affected her, but for which she was not responsible, she was unable to open herself to the listening ear of God. It isn’t so much that God won’t listen to those of us who cherish our sins, it is that we have piled so much stuff between us and God that it is difficult for God to hear us through the jumble of obstacles we have erected between us and God. As we let go, as we dismantle the wall of obstacles we have built up through years and generations we discover God waiting to receive us with open arms and loving heart.
What if we could stop hiding behind all of the events and excuses that clutter that space between ourselves and God? I believe we would find that God has been patiently waiting for us to make ourselves available to the love God has always directed our way. We will discover, “truly God has listened; he has given heed to the words of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me.”
March 27, 2017
LCM
Fifth Sunday in Lent
April 2, 2017
Psalm 66
1 Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;
2 sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise.
3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.
4 All the earth worships you; they sing praises to you, sing praises to your name.” Selah
5 Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.
6 He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There we rejoiced in him,
7 who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations—
let the rebellious not exalt themselves. Selah
8 Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard,
9 who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip.
10 For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.
11 You brought us into the net; you laid burdens on our backs;
12 you let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water;
yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.
13 I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will pay you my vows,
14 those that my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
15 I will offer to you burnt offerings of fatlings, with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams; I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah
16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me.
17 I cried aloud to him, and he was extolled with my tongue.
18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
19 But truly God has listened; he has given heed to the words of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me.
(NRSV)
There are people who are saints in my estimation who find themselves wondering if there is a place in heaven for them. As their story is told an episode comes to light about a particular dark sin committed in the past that, to them, damages their chances of ever getting into heaven. Like many of us they are both repulsed by this action and drawn into it. One of my older relatives discovered that one of her parents had been married and divorced prior to her birth. To her, that made her an illegitimate child. This was a source of great shame to her. At the same time, she refused to let it go. As the psalmist says she, “cherished iniquity in my heart,”
Because she was unable to let go of this sin that affected her, but for which she was not responsible, she was unable to open herself to the listening ear of God. It isn’t so much that God won’t listen to those of us who cherish our sins, it is that we have piled so much stuff between us and God that it is difficult for God to hear us through the jumble of obstacles we have erected between us and God. As we let go, as we dismantle the wall of obstacles we have built up through years and generations we discover God waiting to receive us with open arms and loving heart.
What if we could stop hiding behind all of the events and excuses that clutter that space between ourselves and God? I believe we would find that God has been patiently waiting for us to make ourselves available to the love God has always directed our way. We will discover, “truly God has listened; he has given heed to the words of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me.”
March 27, 2017
LCM
Monday, April 27, 2015
Psalm Meditation 776
Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 3, 2015
Psalm 66
1 Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;
2 sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise.
3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.
4 All the earth worships you; they sing praises to you, sing praises to your name.” Selah
5 Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.
6 He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot.
There we rejoiced in him,
7 who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations—let the rebellious not exalt themselves. Selah
8 Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard,
9 who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip.
10 For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.
11 You brought us into the net; you laid burdens on our backs;
12 you let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.
13 I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will pay you my vows,
14 those that my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
15 I will offer to you burnt offerings of fatlings, with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams; I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah
16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me.
17 I cried aloud to him, and he was extolled with my tongue.
18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
19 But truly God has listened; he has given heed to the words of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me.
(NRSV)
There was a time in each of our lives that the only way we could make ourselves heard was through our voices. We cooed and cried and laughed and screamed to communicate our wants and needs to those around us. As our bodies developed we found new ways of communicating with those around us. We could smile and frown, walk and run, punch and pat to let folks know our needs and wants. At some point we learn to push the buttons of a keypad and we learn to write. At that point we have the ability to reach beyond the sound of our voice to touch folks in a variety of ways.
The psalmist uses the written word to reach through generations to touch us with this word of praise. All these years later we are invited to participate in the joy of being in the presence of God. Was this psalmist a person who could not express joy through singing and dancing or one who was skilled in a variety of means of communication? We will not know that any time soon. We know that this person was a psalmist who wanted to share the excitement and enthusiasm of having been blessed in a variety of ways by the ever present God.
Whether our words, actions and images go viral and spread across the world or are only heard and seen by the folks to whom we address them God hears and sees. Whether our words, actions and images are passed on through generations or are deleted, discarded and destroyed soon after they leave our presence God knows what we have done and said. God knows us and loves us no matter what. While the psalmist may have known that the steadfast love of God could be removed from us for some reason, I am convinced that the steadfast love of God is steadfast and lasts through all generations because it is the nature of God to love steadfastly. Praise God.
April 27, 2015
LCM
Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 3, 2015
Psalm 66
1 Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;
2 sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise.
3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.
4 All the earth worships you; they sing praises to you, sing praises to your name.” Selah
5 Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.
6 He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot.
There we rejoiced in him,
7 who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations—let the rebellious not exalt themselves. Selah
8 Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard,
9 who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip.
10 For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.
11 You brought us into the net; you laid burdens on our backs;
12 you let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.
13 I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will pay you my vows,
14 those that my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
15 I will offer to you burnt offerings of fatlings, with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams; I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah
16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me.
17 I cried aloud to him, and he was extolled with my tongue.
18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
19 But truly God has listened; he has given heed to the words of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me.
(NRSV)
There was a time in each of our lives that the only way we could make ourselves heard was through our voices. We cooed and cried and laughed and screamed to communicate our wants and needs to those around us. As our bodies developed we found new ways of communicating with those around us. We could smile and frown, walk and run, punch and pat to let folks know our needs and wants. At some point we learn to push the buttons of a keypad and we learn to write. At that point we have the ability to reach beyond the sound of our voice to touch folks in a variety of ways.
The psalmist uses the written word to reach through generations to touch us with this word of praise. All these years later we are invited to participate in the joy of being in the presence of God. Was this psalmist a person who could not express joy through singing and dancing or one who was skilled in a variety of means of communication? We will not know that any time soon. We know that this person was a psalmist who wanted to share the excitement and enthusiasm of having been blessed in a variety of ways by the ever present God.
Whether our words, actions and images go viral and spread across the world or are only heard and seen by the folks to whom we address them God hears and sees. Whether our words, actions and images are passed on through generations or are deleted, discarded and destroyed soon after they leave our presence God knows what we have done and said. God knows us and loves us no matter what. While the psalmist may have known that the steadfast love of God could be removed from us for some reason, I am convinced that the steadfast love of God is steadfast and lasts through all generations because it is the nature of God to love steadfastly. Praise God.
April 27, 2015
LCM
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