Scripture For Today: Psalm 65:1-13
“Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest 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.”
Psalms 65:4
Some times we overlook the simple things in search of the profound. To be basic and simple in the things of God is to be grounded on a firm foundation. The profound is really nothing more than a clear or clearer understanding of the simple, basic things. The best athletes in every sport are those who have a clear understanding of the basic principles of their sport and how to train and prepare for it. They constantly return to those basic things and end up profoundly impacting their sport. We need to be reminded of the obvious truths and simple things to have a profound impact on our world.
“Be of good cheer, your God is hard at work in your life doing what only He can and only He will for your good and for His own glory”
When we discussed verse one of the sixty-fifth Psalm we were reminded that Our God is worthy to be praised. As this Psalm moves on from the declaration of His worthiness by our readiness to praise Him, it reminds us again why God is worthy to be praised. Some would argue that God is simply worthy to be praised because He is God and as God He is good. This argument is true but falls short of the whole, basic truth. The truth is that we know He is God and that He is good because of His declarations and His works that declare Him. So let me remind you today of the basics of Why God is worthy of our ready praise. There is a two sided truth to each of these basic reasons for God’s worthiness for praise: He can, and He will. First, God is worthy of our praise because He hears our prayers. “O thou that hearest prayer,…” Psalm 65:2. He can hear our prayers because He is God. No finite being can hear our prayers much less answer them perfectly every time: only God can hear our prayers. Even more worthy of praise is the fact that God will hear our prayers. He has no requirement to hear our prayer at all, but chooses to because of His perfect love for us. He is worthy! Second, He is worthy because He purges our transgressions. “…as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.” Psalm 65:3. Again, only God can purge our transgressions. It required a holy sacrifice to make atonement for our sin and God offered Himself in the person of Jesus Christ because only He could be a sufficient sacrifice. God not only can but willingly did make atonement for our sins. He will purge your sins today if you ask Him. Only God can and Only God will purge our iniquities, He is worthy! Third, God is worthy of our praise because He causes us to dwell in His house and there satisfies us with His goodness. “Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest 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.” Psalm 65:4. Only God can cause us to approach Himself so that we may dwell in His courts. We read that there is “none that seeketh God” in Romans three. And if we were to seek Him we have no right to approach Him. But He made a way at Calvary that we can approach Him and dwell in His house. Only God can cause us to approach Him, and only God did. He is worthy! Fourth, God is worthy because He governs in the affairs of man and of creation in perfect and complete power as seen in versus five through thirteen of the sixty-fifth Psalm. Obviously, only God can rule over the affairs of man and creation. It is also true that only God is selfless enough to care for our affairs as His own. Only God can and Only God will govern in the affairs of man and creation. He is worthy!
He is worthy because He is God, and as God He is working for our good and His own glory in every detail and moment of our lives. Be of good cheer, Your God is hard at work in your life doing what only He can, and only He will for your good and for His own glory. Return to the basics and restore the ready praise of God in your life because He is worthy! Only He can do the works of God, and only He will!