Tested and Tried: Psalm 66-Supplication through the Scriptures
Tested and Tried
Psalm 66
The reason the Lord holds you to the fire is not to punish you, but to reveal the splendor of Christ through your life.
Mary Kassian
Proverbs 25:4 says, “Take away the dross from the silver and there comes out a vessel for the smith.” The purification of silver happens when silver goes through the process of heating. The dross, the worthless part and impurities, separates from the pure silver and can then be poured off. Through this process the silversmith obtains a useful substance, a vessel fit for the task of its master. Throughout Scripture God uses this analogy to describe His work in our lives. He tests us in the furnace of affliction (Isaiah 48:10). In the afflictions of life, He is refining us, purifying us. Peter tells us that though we are distressed by various trials, it is to show the genuineness of our faith, a faith more precious than gold or silver, tested by fire, to result in praise and honor and glory (1 Peter 1:6-7). And in Psalm 66, the psalmist states, “For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried” (66:10).
I want to offer six suggestions for the times of affliction and testing.
1. Praise the Lord. In Psalm 66:1-4, the psalmist repeats several times to shout to God, give Him praise, sing praises to Him. A few years ago, a friend of mine shared that during a very difficult time in her life, her healing came through worship. As she worshipped the Lord in the midst of hardship, the Lord was comforting her, giving her peace, and healing the brokenness. Are you in the furnace of affliction? Pull up those favorite songs on YouTube or on your music app, and sing to the Lord. At first you may not feel like doing it, but perhaps the Lord will use those songs to remind your heart of truth and bring comfort and healing to you as you acknowledge His worthiness regardless of your circumstance.
2. Remember God’s awesome deeds and bless Him. The psalmist says, “Come and see what God has done” (66:5) and then he rehearsed how the Lord has faithfully led His people, ruling in His might and keeping their feet from slipping. In this time of refining through trials, write down times from the past where God was faithful to you and your family and ask Him to do it again. If you cannot think of anything, or you need more evidence to bolster your heart, look to His Word which is filled with countless acts of how God has fought for His people.
3. Keep the end result in mind. Though God had tested the people, tried them, laid a crushing burden on their backs, He brought them out to a place of abundance (Psalm 66:10-12). The times of hardship can feel crushing and perplexing at times, but God is producing something in us and working something through us that is far more glorious than we could imagine. And even though our hardship may last this lifetime, we have an eternity of superabundance awaiting us in heaven with the Lord where we will experience the eternal weight of glory that has been produced for us by this “momentary, light affliction” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
4. Continue serving where God has placed you. The psalmist continues in Psalm 66:13-15 declaring that he will come to God’s house to perform the vows he uttered and offer his burnt offerings. Affliction can, at times, make us very self focused. We can get overwhelmed by our situation and focused on our own hardship. It can be helpful if, instead of focusing solely on how we are going to survive our sorrow, we shifted our focus on how we could continue to serve the Lord wherever He has placed us, loving and serving those around us. There may be many things you cannot do because of the limitations of your suffering, but is there something you could do for others? Pray? Send an encouraging card? Invite someone out for coffee?
5. Invite others to share in the joy of what God is doing. “Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul” (Psalm 66:16). We can give thanks to God during our hardship for even the seemingly small things you see Him doing, and we can share those with others who will join in praise to God with us. One helpful way to include others in rejoicing with you, is to first ask them to join with you in praying for your situation. Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, said, “you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many” (2 Corinthians 1:11). The prayers of many meant more thanks to God for His work on their behalf. So ask others to pray with and for you, and this will lead to more thanks and praise to God.
Let’s pray through Psalm 66 for these times of affliction.
Praise Him
66:1-4 Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.” Selah
Let’s pray:
▫️Our hearts would be filled with glorious praise and we would shout for joy to You, o God.
▫️We would rejoice in Your great power and awesome deeds which You have done for us in the past and have accomplished for Your people forever.
▫️Fill our mouths with a song of praise to You today despite our hardship. May our hearts join with our lips as we choose to praise You in the midst of this storm.
Bless God
66:5-9 Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man. He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There did we rejoice in him, who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations— let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip.
Let’s pray:
▫️Help us to see, Lord, what You have done for us. Help us to see even the seemingly small ways You are working to answer our prayers and to refine us and purify us.
▫️We would rest in Your mighty power. There is nothing too difficult for You, not this trial and not the feelings that arise because of this trial. You can sustain us through it all.
▫️Keep our feet from slipping, Heavenly Father. Keep our eyes on You so that we can follow Your leading and discern Your ways.
A Place of Abundance
66:10-12 For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.
Let’s pray:
▫️We would recognize and submit ourselves to the testing of the Lord knowing that testing produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope (Romans 5:3-4).
▫️We would not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. And we would set our minds on eternal and unseen things knowing that this light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
▫️Lord, You would bring us out of this affliction to a place of abundance.
Come to Him
66:13-15 I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will perform my vows to you, that which my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble. I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals, with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams; I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah
Let’s pray:
▫️We would continue to serve where You have placed us. In this trouble, we would see those who need our encouragement and our help.
▫️We would act in sincerity and the genuineness of our faith would be seen through this fiery trial (1 Peter 1:6-7).
God has Listened
66:16-20 Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul. I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!
Let’s pray:
▫️We would boldly share with others what You have done for our souls through this trial. We would share what You are teaching us, how You are refining us, and what Your power has brought about on our behalf.
▫️We would continue to persistently cry out to You.
▫️We would cherish no iniquity in our hearts! We would ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and when You shows us our sin, we would not cling to it, but we would confess and forsake it.
▫️Listen to our prayers, and attend to our voice, Lord.
May the Lord do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, for His glory and our good. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Photo credit to gxjansen
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