Ps 66:16-19 Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. 17 I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. 18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; 19 but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.
What has God done for you? Are his praises on your lips? Do you joyfully tell of all of the goodness that God has extended towards you? We are called to be boldly outspoken concerning the goodness of the Lord. Not in a proud or confrontational way but in a joyful relational way! Is it your pleasure to speak of God’s love? Is it your delight to make God your boast? Listen to the words of the psalmist and consider the position of a heart so full of praise: Ps 35:28 “My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long.” Ps 44:8 “In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever.” Ps 71:8 “My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.”Ps 71:15 “My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure. When the heart is burning with praise for God it becomes something that flows out of us like a river - like an unstoppable force. There is so much passion in the words of these psalms as they burst forth with a praise that is vibrant “all day long.”
Psalm 66:16-19 is impacting in its call to us because not only is it a praise to the Lord but it is an instruction to those who would listen. This is one of the unique attributes of praise that is born of the Holy Spirit. Within the words of one song there can be praise, exhortation, instruction, prophecy and more. The Spirit of God is such a master craftsman that when He can find a heart that is yielded to His Spirit He is able to create words that are alive with meaning and expression of God’s heart. This particular song is a call to come and see! It has a targeted audience; those who fear the Lord.” It is an exhortation to hold fast to that holy reverence that compels us to turn from sin to a life that is in unity with God’s commands. The particular focus of these verses is on the importance of having a clean heart, not just right actions. Ps. 24:3-4 identifies clean hands and a pure heart as the necessary components to ascend with God to stand before Him in loving relationship. It is when both our actions and our inner desires and motives are pleasing to the Lord that our faith is truly genuine and we can enjoy true fellowship with God.
In 1 John 3:21-22 the Apostle John writes, “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.” The theme of this verse confirms the principle of the verses we are considering from Psalm 66. In their essence each of these two verses is laying a foundation for effective prayer in the lives of those who have ears to hear. A life of obedience and holiness positions us with confidence before God, and confidence before God is the essential necessity of effective prayer. When we leave the roots of compromise in the inner places of our hearts then we suffer in our inner man. Our own conscience becomes the voice of accusation that robs us of faith as we cry out to the Father. God desires to partner with us in a relationship that is full of purpose but the foundation of this relationship is loving obedience to the will of God. Jesus himself taught the disciples that He willingly restrained himself to only do what He was directed to by the Father as He inquired of Him in prayer. Because Jesus lived a sinless life there was never a moment when His own conscience resisted His prayer of faith. He was able to ascend with God because His heart was clean. We too must hear this invitation to grow in purity of heart and loving faith even as we respond sincerely to the high standards of the word of God that call us to such extravagant acts as loving those who hate us and serving others before ourselves. When we pray from a heart that is living with this kind of faithful obedience we too will see new dimensions of fulfillment in our history of prayer before God.
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