Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip.” vss. 8-9
Psalm 66:1-9
From a practical or realistic standpoint, Israel’s survival as a people didn’t make much sense to the psalmist. They weren’t a powerful nation and had somehow managed to survive through the succeeding reigns of a series of superpowers. For him there was only one logical answer: their God had not forgotten them and had managed to keep them intact as a people. Despite military defeats and humiliating exile they were still alive, and this was God’s doing. And so he encourages them to bless and praise the Lord in every circumstance. We in the Church, who consider ourselves to be the successors of Israel in so many ways, are still called to offer regular songs of praise to God in our worship. It is right for us to do this. The Church does not have a stellar history and at times has borne little resemblance to the living Body of Christ in the world. We’ve wandered into grave error and abandoned the gospel of grace. The stains of our sins persist to this day–we’re still dealing with their consequences. But because the Holy Spirit is the heartbeat of the Church, its sustainer and advocate, the Church is still alive and being the Presence of Christ to the hurting people of the world. And for that reason we continue to give to our God glorious praise.
Thought for the Day: How do I feel when I sing praises to God?
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