Shouting Praise to God
Psalm 66:1
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth; sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious.
Fall is one of my favorite times of the year! I suppose it is for many people. The cool crisp air and the changing leaves are a part of what I love. But to be honest with you, one of my favorite things about fall is college football and the pennant races of Major League Baseball. There is something about those Saturday football games and baseball pennant races that fires me up. And I will be honest with you, I do what most of us do. I shout for my teams! Like you, I have my favorite college football team, my favorite MLB team and I do my fair share of shouting and cheering them on to victory. For some reason, I equate the fall with shouting!
Did you know we are to shout to God? Psalm 66 is a Psalm of mighty praise and it begins with a shout! Verse 1 says, “Shout joyfully to God.” Have you shouted today to God? Have you taken the time to praise Him with a mighty shout? When you read Psalm 66, it becomes clear that we have much to shout about. Verse 3 says, “Say to God, how awesome are Your works.” Right now, pause for a moment and consider the great work of God. If you are like me, once I get started, I find it difficult to stop; for His works are awesome and abundant.
Psalm 66 provides us a good list to start our thinking. Use these truths about the work of God to get you started shouting praise today.
God’s Protective Work
First of all, shout praise to God for His protective work! Verse 6 says, “He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot.” The context for this verse is found in Exodus 14 when the children of Israel were following God while fleeing Pharaoh and the Egyptian army. If you are not familiar with the story, take a few minutes to read Exodus 12 - 14. The short version is that Israel came to the Red Sea and they faced waters that seemed insurmountable. The Egyptian army was closing in behind them fast. Their only hope was God. And that day, God acted in a protective way and opened the waters for them to pass through. But not only did they pass through unharmed, when the Egyptians attempted to do the same, God caused the waters to return and they were completely defeated. God protected His people. And do you know what the Bible tells us happened next? They praised God. You will find this in Exodus 15, the song of Moses and Israel. It is a song praising God for His protective work.
And God’s protective work is praiseworthy today for us, as well! There is not a day that passes that God doesn’t protect His children. There is never a moment when we are out from under God’s protective care. So, take a moment and shout praise to God for His protective work in your life. And if you find yourself feeling at a dead end with an army of defeat closing in on you, look up – for He is your rescue!
God’s Abundant Work
We also can shout praise to God for His abundant work. Verse 12 says, “You made men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water, yet You brought us out into a place of abundance.” This is a reference to the blessings God’s people received in the Promised Land of Canaan. This is so important for us to remember. If you find yourself feeling sorry for yourself, or feeling down or forgotten, then this verse is for you. For God’s work toward His children is an “abundant” work. And our focus should be on His abundant work. The song writers, Johnson Oatman, Jr. and Edwin O. Excell wrote the song Count Your Many Blessings. The first verse is a good reminder for us of God’s abundant work.
When upon life's billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.
Praise God today for His abundant work and blessings toward you.
God’s Saving Work
Lastly, we can shout praise to God for His saving work. Verse 16 says, “Come and hear, all who fear God, and I will tell you what He has done for my soul.” What is the Psalmist talking about here? I believe he is talking about God’s saving work. Listen to vs. 18 - 19, “If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear; but certainly, God has heard; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer.”
There are many things for which we can praise God but none more precious than His forgiveness of our sin! We can be right with Holy God through His saving work. Take a moment and praise God with a shout for His saving work.
As we come to the end of this Psalm today, here is a little assignment for you to do. Would you take a moment, get a pen and paper in hand and start listing the work of God in your life? Don’t live in ungratefulness or gloom and despair. Live in praise and shout to God for all His work in you. When you take time to write down your blessings, you will become more and more aware of His abundant work in every aspect of your life!
And then - share that praise with someone today. Share the abundant work of God in your life with a friend. Not only will they likely rejoice with you, they might just need a reminder and some encouragement that God is working!