Sunday Devotional 16th of July 2023
by Bruce Billington
We are continuing to explore the knowledge of God as expressed in the Psalms. This week we look further at some verses from Psalm 65 – a Psalm of David’s where he faces despair and anguish.
Psalm 65:6-10 – “6 Who establishes the mountains by His strength, Being girded with might. 7 Who stills the roaring of the seas, The roaring of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples. 8 They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs; You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy. 9 You visit the earth and cause it to overflow; You greatly enrich it; The stream of God is full of water; You prepare their grain, for thus You prepare the earth. 10 You water its furrows abundantly, You settle its ridges, You soften it with showers, You bless its growth.”
When we get a revelation of who God truly is, especially in our own times of trouble and despair, we are both confronted and overwhelmed by His strength, His power, and the fact that everything is held up by His might.
We look at the mountains and the scenery around us and take reassurance and wonder in the fact that God is there – He is the author and the source of all. Without Him all that is around us would crumble – so consider how much would all our own plans, projects and labour come to nothing unless they are birthed and sustained in Him.
In addition to this, the psalmist goes on to describe how God stills the roaring seas which are a symbol of the turmoil of people, including nations (in this case Israel), find themselves in (Isaiah 17:12-13). Obviously, there is also a look into the future here (V8 – the ends of the earth), the day when peace will finally reign on all the earth, and all will stand in awe of the King and His Kingdom.
It is of no surprise that the Scriptures frequently call us to consider the natural world around us. It is filled with amazing marvels that bear witness to God’s incredible power. God loves what He has made and wants us to take time out to consider and enjoy it. It bears great witness and testimony to Him (Rom 1:20). Such glories of creation should inspire us to constantly rejoice in God and worship Him.
Matthew Henry makes a great statement here. He says,
It is hard to say which is more welcome to us, the light of the morning, which befriends the business of the day, or the shadows of the evening, which befriend the repose of the night.
As we live our life in Christ, what is the most exciting? Is it waking up each morning, knowing there is a whole day in front of us to enjoy Him, the wonders of His creation around us, and what adventures will we discover in this day? Or is it coming to rest at the end of the day, knowing that we have strived to do His will and can now rest and consider the labours we were privileged to participate in with Him? If we remain in Him, we can rejoice equally in both.
Verse 10 tells us that God visits all His places on the earth and provides everything that is necessary for it to flourish and grow in abundance. This includes us. He does not give us just what we need – He is delighted to give us more, abundantly more, than we need or ask for (Ephesians 3:20).
Think of what happens to dry soil or land when the rains come. It immediately comes to life in a way that no amount of money spent on it can produce. Life suddenly begins to flow from it. His rain waters and feeds all the plants and animals and softens the land so it can be ploughed and planted.
This provides an example and testimony to us all about what takes place when God sends His provision to us. Life bursts forth – life that is inexhaustible because there is no end to His provision – it can carry on bringing further blessing to all.
So, as we consider these verses, what should do we learn?
That when our hearts are dry and barren we can turn to God, and He can water and nourish us in a way that will bring increase and fulfilment to our lives. He can soften our hearts and bring grace and mercy to us despite whatever we are facing or going through.
Whether we are aware of it or not, all true sons and daughters of the Living God partake of these blessings on a regular basis. As a result, we should respond in the following ways.
- Be aware of His goodness every day of our lives
- Praise Him constantly and serve Him sacrificially
- Be thankful to Him and express our gratitude to Him daily
- Inspire those around us to do the same.
God bless you.
Bruce Billington