Psalm 66:13-20 - "I Will Declare What He Has Done..."

Today, we are going to complete our chat on Psalm 66. Whoever the palmist is, he is encouraging us to join with “all the earth” to “make a joyful shout to God”. The first seven verses are a global invitation for all of creation, and all the creatures in it, including us, to praise the Lord! Now, in verses 13-20, we go from “we/us/our” to “I/my/me”. Notice, “I will go into..”, “I will pay…” (v. 13), “which my lips…”, “my mouth has…”, “when I was…” (v. 14), “I will offer…” (v. 15),  “I will declare…”, “my soul…” (v. 16), “I cried…”, “my tongue…” (v. 17), “If I regard…” (v. 18), “has heard me…”, “my prayer…” (v. 19), “my prayer…”, “mercy from me…” (v. 20).  The change from "we/us/our" to "I/my/me" is significant, for corporate worship is the ministry of many individuals, and God sees each heart. We don’t go to church or to a “worship service” to find worship, we come to bring the “worship” that we already have in our own hearts, and join with others who have also come with the worship of their hearts. There must be personal worship before there can be corporate worship! Remember in verse 5 we were invited to “come and see”, but now in verse 16 we are invited to “come and hear”. You can see something from a long distance but if you want to really understand and experience what you see you need to come closer to hear what it has to say! The psalmist had said, “come and see” God great creation and His mighty acts in the previous verses, but now he says, “come and hear what He has done for my soul”.   The psalmist has a personal testimony of what the Lord has done in his own life, and he wants to share it with others! That’s one of the reasons we go to church or small group fellowship gatherings, to hear others share and tell about their experiences with the Lord. How they had a prayer answered, how they watched God do a miracle in their life or family, and how God was perfecting His work in them and through them.  That is why we are told in Hebrews 10:24-25: “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”  During his times of trial, the psalmist had made vows to God, and now he hastened to fulfill them. He brought many burnt offerings to the altar, the very best he had, and they symbolized his total dedication to the Lord. We today obey Romans 12:1-2 and present ourselves as living sacrifices. When the Lord does something wonderful for us, we ought to share this with other believers and help to strengthen their faith. The entire Bible is a record of God's gracious dealings with His people, and while our words are not inspired, our witness can bring glory to the Lord. Prayer and praise go together (v. 17).  Have you ever noticed that the closer we get to the Lord and experience Him, the more He reveals the sin and imperfections in our own hearts? The verb "regard" in verse 18, means "to recognize and to cherish, to be unwilling to confess and forsake known sins." It means approving that which God condemns. When we recognize sin in our hearts, we must immediately judge it, confess it, and forsake it (1 John 1:5-10); otherwise, the Lord can't work on our behalf (Isa. 59:1-2). To cover sin is to invite trouble and discipline (Prov. 28:13; Josh. 7).  The chapter ends with a shout of tremendous joy as the psalmist reflected on God’s great creation, on His provisions and protection for His people, and on what the Lord had done in his own life personally! “Blessed be God!!!!!” (v. 20). God always has an open ear for our prayers of repentance, and He is more than ready to extend His mercy to us and forgive us!  Today, will you “come and see” and then “come closer and hear” what His Holy Spirit wants to whisper into your heart? God bless!