Today’s psalms reveal the power of prayer, the power of a testimony, and the power of intercession for the nations:
- Power of prayer – We see in David’s psalms how he cried out to the Lord through prayer fully trusting that the Lord would respond:
- “Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:1-2).
- “Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation” (Psalm 62:1).
- “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him” (Psalm 62:5).
- “Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us” (Psalm 62:8).
- “Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation; preserve my life from fear of the enemy” (Psalm 64:1).
- “O You who hear prayer, to You all flesh will come. Iniquities prevail against me; as for our transgressions, You will provide atonement for them” (Psalm 65:2-3).
- “By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation, You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of the far-off seas” (Psalm 65:5).
- Power of testimony – David was so overwhelmed by the goodness of the Lord, His works, and His faithfulness that he could not keep silent. David shouted the Lord’s praises to the world:
- “Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! Sing out the honor of His name; make His praise glorious. Say to God, ‘How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You. All the earth shall worship You and sing praises to You; They shall sing praises to Your name.’ Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.” (Psalm 66:1-5)
- “Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for my soul. I cried to Him with my mouth, and He was extolled with my tongue. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me! (Psalm 66:16-20).
- Power of intercession – In psalm 67 we see the psalmist long for salvation of the nation. The psalmist asks the Lord to shine upon them so that they may be a witness of the ways of the Lord to the world. When Jesus arrives on the scene, He will say to His disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). This psalmist’s prayer is aligned with the heart of the Lord as he boldly prays for salvation for all the nations:
- “God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously, and govern the nations on earth. Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him” (Psalm 67).
We too, like David, can run to the Lord and pour out our heart to Him in prayer trusting that He hears and that He will respond in a way that only He can…for our good and for His glory. And what would happen if our prayer life was similar to the psalmist who wrote Psalms 67? What if we prayed that the Lord’s face would shine upon us so that we can shine His goodness to others and shout to the nations His awesome deeds?
Dear Lord, may your face shine upon us so that we may make Your ways known on earth. And may the people praise you…”Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him” (Psalm 67:6-7). Amen.
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(Psalms 61-62, Psalms 64-67)
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Chronological Bible in Layman's Terms 