Psalm 65

A Psalm of David

1 Praise waits for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed.

2 O thou that hears prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.

3 Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.

4 Blessed is the man whom thou choose, and causes to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.

5 By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation, who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:

6 Which by his strength sets fast the mountains; being girded with power:

7 Which stills the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.

8 They also that dwell in the uttermost parts is afraid at thy tokens: thou make the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.

9 Thou visits the earth, and waters it: thou greatly enrich it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou prepare them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.

10 Thou waters the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settle the furrows thereof: thou make it soft with showers: thou bless the springing thereof.

11 Thou crowns the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.

12 They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side.

13 The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing. (KJV)

In my daily studies I try to start the day out by reading five psalms a day and one chapter of Proverbs. The psalms help me grow in my understanding of the greatness of God and helps develops a closer relationship with Him. The Book of Proverbs helps me understand God’s way in dealing with the issues of life that involves my relationship with those around me. During the rest of the day, I try to meditate of God’s word. This involves studying some of the great works of other authors. One such author is Oswald Chambers. His insight into God’s Word reveals a great desire to become more Christ-like in all aspects of live. An example of this can be found in today’s reading from My Utmost to His Highest May 13 “I should be living in such perfect harmony with God’s Son that the spirit of my mind is being renewed through every circumstance of life, and that I may be able to quickly “prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Chambers’ devotional is great book that can give great insight on how to develop a daily walk with Christ.

However, as I read this psalm I am reminded of God’s courts, his house and his holy temple and those he has chosen to bring near to live there. This makes me think of the church and the role it plays in today’s society.

This week I started reading Charles Colson’s and Harold Fickett’s book The Faith. The subtitle of this book What Christians Believe, Why They Believe It, and Why It Matters is a message that should challenge the church today. In the introduction he brings to light how most (yes most not just some) believers really do not have a grasp of the great doctrines of the Christian faith. One of the questions he would ask was plainly ” What is Christianity anyway?” One of the trends that I have seem myself within the church over the last fifty years has been a move from it desire to preach the gospel to a lost and dying world, to a defender of Christian values and the family unit. In this process the Bible has taken a back seat to all the self-help, how to have purpose in life, and guides to family living books. This is supported by the statement in the book’s Introduction “Of the twelve critical doctrines that I have identified in this book, most of my friends, admittedly unprepared, could only name four, at the best five”.

As I reflected on this last statement, I ask myself if I could identify twelve critical doctrines if I was asked this this question. This is why the psalms are so important to me. I can grow in my understanding of the great doctrines of the faith on a daily basis.

In this psalm I realize that the most important doctrine to your faith is answer “Who is God” and his relationship to man. Here is some of the facts we can gleam from this psalm about who God is:

He is worthy of praise.

He hears our prayers.

All men will come to you.

God forgive sins.

God choose the ones who live in your court.

God is a righteous judge.

God created the world.

God cares for the world.

These are simple yet profound truths about God that we can grasp just by daily studying God’s Word.

The other critical doctrines are answer in this psalm “Who is man”. He is overwhelmed by sins, yet our sins can be forgiven. It is God who chooses to bring us into his courts.  Man was God’s creation.  He was created in the very image and likeness of God.  Yet this likeness is overwhelmed by sin and has lost it godliness.  We also see that we can be blessed by God when our sins are forgiven.  Who are those that the Lord has blessed and has choose to bring near to live in God’s courts.  The good news is this blessing is offered to all men.  However, many do not believe and turn away.  This is the great mystery of our free will to choose.