The Blessings of His Bounty: Psalm 65-Supplication through the Scriptures
The Blessings of His Bounty
Psalm 65
This Psalm is filled with so much blessedness. After many psalms of lament where David has cried out to God during his hardships, he now sings a psalm of praise because God has answered his prayers.
Has God answered prayers for you? What I have found in myself is that even when God shows up in a big way and answers my calls for help, I am soon beset by another concern. And in my weakness and lack of faith, I’m worried and anxious again. I forget that the One who answered so many times before has already concerned Himself with my new worry. The faithful One from yesterday is still the same today and will be faithful again.
For the forgetful heart and mind, let’s walk through the psalm and rejoice in God’s abundance poured out on His people.
🔳 65:2 “O you who hear prayer”—What a comfort for us to confidently know that He hears our prayers when we cry out to Him. He wants us to bring everything to Him in prayer and to rest in His care of us and our situation (Philippians 4:6).
🔳65:3 “When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions.”—Christ has made eternal redemption for us through His blood. There is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. He has cleansed our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. As a believer, we do not need to carry the heavy burden of guilt and sin. All has been removed by Christ’s sacrifice for us. He has made a way for us to draw near in confidence and full assurance (Romans 8:1; Hebrews 4:16, 10:19-22).
🔳65:4 “Blessed is the one you choose and bring near”—He chose us when we were dead in our trespasses and sins. He chose us not based on anything good in us, but because He loved us. He has brought us near, drawn us close to Himself. He clothed us in the righteousness of Christ in order that He could bring us near to Him. All grace on His part (Ephesians 1:4, 2:1-5).
🔳65:4 “We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house”—We have a guarantee. We will be satisfied with goodness. One day, all of our cares, sorrows, burdens, stresses, anxieties will be forgotten when we are rejoicing in His presence and surrounded completely and fully by goodness from His house. Even our present joys and reasons for rejoicing will pale in comparison to the glory there (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
🔳 65:5 “By awesome deeds you answer us”—This is God’s way. He does awesome things. We do not always see His answer, His reason, His complete providence. But we can trust that He is answering us with awesome deeds. As John Piper says, “God is always doing ten thousand things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.”
🔳65:5 “The hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas”—I just love this description of God. God and God alone is the hope, the trust, the confidence of His people throughout the entire world. We are not alone.
🔳65:7 “who stills the roaring of the seas”—The One who has the power to say, “Peace, be still” to the winds and the waves, and they obey, can give me peace in every situation. Whether it’s an ongoing situation that has caused turmoil, or a new reason for worry, He is the God of peace and will grant me His peace in every circumstance (2 Thessalonians 3:16).
🔳65:10 “You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.”—No doubt David is recognizing God’s providential and providing hand in blessing the land with fruitful abundance, but this verse also makes me think of His care and cultivation of our hearts. He is the One who causes growth. He is the One who makes us fruitful. He is the One softening the hardness of our hearts and replacing our barrenness with His abundance. We can work out our salvation with fear and trembling because He is the One working in us to both will and to do for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13).
🔳65:13–“they shout and sing together for joy”—Joy is the privilege of the believer. We have so many reasons for joy and rejoicing, even when we wake up and encounter another day that may be filled with uncertainties. We have a sure and faithful Father, and God alone with His innumerable beauties and blessings is enough to fill us with joy for today and all eternity.
Let’s pray and praise through Psalm 65.
Daily Dagger: “Praise is due to you, O God” (Psalm 65:1).
We Shall Be Satisfied
65:1-4 Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion, and to you shall vows be performed. O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come. When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions. Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!
Let’s pray:
▫️We praise You this morning for Your goodness and great mercy which You have given us in Christ. All blessings are ours in Christ and we belong to You!
▫️We praise You because You are a God who hears our prayers. You want us to bring our concerns to You and not try to carry them ourselves. Thank You that You hear our voice when we cry to You.
▫️We praise You that no iniquity can ultimately prevail against Your people. There is forgiveness for us in Christ. He has given us eternal redemption. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Thank you, Lord, that You have atoned for our transgressions.
▫️Lord, draw us near to You today. Give us a strong desire to draw near to You, to be in Your presence. Satisfy us today with Your goodness. Help us to be content with whatever Your will and design is for our lives.
You Answer Us
65:5-8 By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might; who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.
Let’s pray:
▫️Lord, we praise You and rejoice that You answer our pleas. And when You answer, You answer in awesome deeds. Give us eyes to see You working, and to trust Your answer.
▫️You are the God of our salvation and the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas. You are so powerful and trustworthy. Help our souls to rest in Your greatness and in Your faithfulness. You can handle our concerns.
▫️As You have stilled the roaring of the seas, we pray You would still whatever tumult is in our hearts and minds. Give Your peace which surpasses all understanding as we bring our anxieties to You in prayer with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6-7).
You Provide
65:9-13 You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance. The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.
Let’s pray:
▫️We praise You for Your abundance to us. You have visited us and You are God with us. You have provided and will continue to provide all of our needs according to Your glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).
▫️Lord, bless us with growth. Help us to be conformed more and more into the image of Your Son. Cleanse us from our former way of thinking and transform us. May we abide in You and Your Word abide in us that we may bear much fruit (John 15:5).
▫️Fill us with Your joy! Let it fill us and flow from us that others may see Christ in us.
May the Lord do exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask or think, for His glory and our good. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Photo credit to davealmine
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