Worshippers of our Lord Jesus Christ – Psalm 66

“To the Chief Musician. A Song. A Psalm. 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.’ Selah!” Psalm 66:1-4

All earthlings joyfully shouting to God! Imagine the loudness of that shout! It would be great if, perhaps on livestream, we all joined in singing harmoniously in honor of the Name of the Lord. Hands uplifted to the Lord, singing, “Your works are awesome.” God’s Word says that all the earth shall worship and sing praises to God. It shall come to pass.

In the early 1980’s, I participated in a worship service at Grace World Outreach Center in St. Louis with 5,000 in attendance. Several Integrity Hosanna “live” music albums, featuring artists like Ron Tucker and Kent Henry, were recorded in this sanctuary. The Spirit of the Lord used their “live” worship song recordings to fuel our service unto Christ while on the mission field.

During the 1990’s, Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI) held a large international convention in Hong Kong. During that convention, thousands of men were jumping and joyfully dancing to the Lord. This convention took place on the second floor of a tall building. During the worship, I turned to my friend Eddie Chan, and said to him, “It feels like the floor is moving up and down.” Eddie told me that the building was made to flex as a caution against earthquakes. That was my first time to worship God on a floor that felt like Jello.

I also attended Billy Graham crusades in Hong Kong and in Tampa, Florida. There were tens of thousands of people praising the Lord there.

Let us pray for more people to be inspired to organize and host large worship services unto the Lord. He is worthy of our thanks and praise.

“Come and see the works of God. He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men. He turned the sea into dry land. They went through the river on foot. There we will rejoice in Him.” Psalm 66:5-6

How do we see the works of God? We see them with spiritual and physical eyes. We see the works of God in the Scripture through the eyes of the Holy Spirit. The Lord’s words are living words. As we think on Scriptures, the Holy Spirit helps us to believe the stories. We also see the works of God with our physical eyes as we offer ourselves to serve people in the Name of Jesus. For example, one time in China, while others and I prayed in the Name of Jesus for a man with a swollen ankle, his ankle immediately became normal. He jumped around and praised the Lord.

“He rules by His power forever. His eyes observe the nations. Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah!” Psalm 66:7

The power of God Almighty remains the same no matter what people think or say about it. We can’t see the wind but it is there. We cannot see God with our physical eyes, but He sees us. In Matthew 10:29-31, Jesus said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows.” We should not rebel against our Heavenly Father. He loves us and seeks to save us from an eternity in hell.

“O, bless our God, you peoples! And make the voice of His praise to be heard, who keeps our soul among the living, and does not allow our feet to be moved. For You, O God, have tested us. You have refined us as silver is refined. You brought us into the net. You laid affliction on our backs. You have caused men to ride over our heads. We went through fire and through water; but You brought us out to rich fulfillment.” Psalm 66:8-12

While in this world, we are apt to be tripped up by trouble. In John 16:33, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

When persecuted, God’s people were as panicked as a bird in a trap. Enclosed and entangled by trouble as a fish in a net! They were pressed down by it! Kept under a load of it. [1] But unable to free themselves, they relied 100% on God for deliverance. He did not disappoint them.

Is anything more dangerous than fire and water? We went through both, that is, afflictions of different kinds. As one trouble ended, another began. Such may be the troubles of the best of God’s saints, but in Isaiah 43:2-3, God has promised, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” [2]

In Psalm 124:2-4, 6-8, David wrote, “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us alive, when their wrath was kindled against us. Then, the waters would have overwhelmed us, the stream would have gone over our soul.” “Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as prey to their teeth. Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers. The snare is broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the Name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

In 1 Peter 1:3-7, Peter blesses the Lord for birthing us by the resurrection of Jesus Christ into an inheritance that is reserved in heaven for us. We rejoice because we are kept by the power of God “though now for a little while, if need be,” we “have been grieved by various trials.” Why? The answer is “that the genuineness of” our “faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” When Jesus Christ appears, we will “rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,” because we will receive the end of our faith—the salvation of our souls.

Our troubles will certainly end well. They are fire and water, but God gets us through them. [3] The waters are an inlet to the garden of the Lord. Our heavenly Vinedresser pruned us to make us more fruitful than ever before.

“I will go into Your house with burnt offerings. I will pay You my vows, which my lips have uttered, and my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.” Psalm 66:13-14

David did not forget what he promised to do for God when he was in trouble. He was grateful to the Lord and wanted to express his gratitude both with words and deeds.

“I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals, with the sweet aroma of rams. I will offer bulls with goats. Selah!” Psalm 66:15

David praised the Lord with generous offerings such as rams, bulls and goats. Not all people had the means or zeal to offer these sacrifices in praise of God, but David was so blessed.

In Luke 12:48, Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded, and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” David was happy to be able and willing to give back more to the Lord due to his many blessings.

“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

David speaks to those who fear God. He wants to strengthen our confidence in God. What did the Lord Jesus Christ do for his soul? The Lord listened to the cry of his mouth. The Lord received the praises of David’s tongue. David’s heavenly Father attended the voice of his prayer as though at a wonderful event.

David had offered generous sacrifices to the Lord as God had ordained at that time for sinners to do. He recognized his need for the shedding of blood for the remission of his sin. In Hebrews 9:22, Paul wrote, “And according to the Law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” David neither denied nor disregarded his need for blood to wash away his sin. Nor should we! David said to those who fear the Lord, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. But certainly God has heard me.” He sought the Lord’s forgiveness, then, he prayed and God listened to him.

What sacrifice do we bring to God when we pray? We offer to Him a sacrifice that is much more precious than the blood of rams, bulls and goats. We come to the Father in the Name of Jesus. Jesus is the Lamb who takes away the world’s sin and ours. And what did Jesus say would happen if we asked for help in His Name? In John 14:13-14, He said, “Whatever you ask in My Name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My Name, I will do it.”

What do I want to ask our Lord for after reading Psalm 66? “In Your Name, Lord Jesus, I ask for a heart of worship toward You, and for the heritage of other lovers and worshippers of You.”



[1] Matthew Henry’s Commentary
[2] Ibid
[3] Ibid
[4] Ibid