Psalm 66:5-7 - July 2, 2009

Ps 66:5-7 "Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man's behalf! 6 He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot — come, let us rejoice in him. 7 He rules forever by his power, his eyes watch the nations — let not the rebellious rise up against him." NIV

Most people believe that there is a God and most people believe that He has great power and is able to do anything that He wants. Where misunderstanding more commonly disrupts the right understanding of God and the joyful relationship that flows out of this right understanding is found in how each person views the character and nature of this God. Some view God as distant and detached, others view God as an angry Lord ready to quickly punish all disobedience and immaturity. Still others relate to God as requiring great deeds and sacrifice on our part to coax out of his tightly clasped hand the answer to our desperate cries for help. But who is this God we serve?
In Psalm 66 the psalmist invites us to come and see! There is a commonly held phrase that “seeing is believing” and even though we understand God’s requirement that those who walk with Him do so by faith God has not left himself without visible evidence around which our faith can be strengthened. The psalmist points us to consider the mighty act of deliverance He performed when He parted the Red Sea to allow for the escape of the Israelites and to display the power and finality of His judgment upon the Egyptian pharaoh and his army. Through this act He displayed the reality that He indeed rules over the affairs of the nations and at the time of His choosing is able to swiftly intervene and bring justice and deliverance to the oppressed who cry out to Him.
A potent observation that is visible within the words of this psalm is the revelation that though this act was performed specifically on behalf of the people of Israel in the natural understanding of things, the psalmist emphasizes that this act was performed on behalf of man as an example of what He will do for anyone who calls upon Him in faith. God has not restricted Himself to one people or one nation. The great God Jah has offered relationship to all who will reach to
Him in faith.
In this passage the psalmist reminds all who read his words that the Lord “rules forever by His power” and that “His eyes watch the nations.” Every nation is subject to His dominion and the word declares confidently in Ps 19:3 that “There is no speech or language,” where the revelation of God is not speaking forth into the earth through the wondrous things that God has done as a means of reminding man of his accountability to a creator. The earth is filled with the testimony of God’s miraculous deeds and the declaration of His glory and greatness through all created things. What makes this reality powerful is that all of this has been performed for the sake of you and I. God loves us so completely that He shows Himself strong AND willing through the works of His hands on OUR behalf! Yes He wants all men to fear Him but only with the proper reverence that teaches us to live our lives carefully and thoughtfully before Him so that the gifts and talents that He has bestowed upon us are not wasted in self-indulgence or squandered through carelessness. All that He has done in providing such beauty in the earth, giving us His scriptures to read and enjoy and through the working of His many mighty miracle performed throughout human history are a message of love that cries out to us to come and embrace His mighty power and great salvation. Today take the time to consider the great things that He has done. Put aside negative reflections that center around that which you do not have at this moment and let faith rise in your heart as you meditate upon the wonders of our Lord!