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!
One of the best places in the Bible to camp out when we feel overwhelmed by sorrow or grief (or despair…or discouragement) is the book of Psalms. In each of these tremendously encouraging and powerful outcries to God we find a common thread.
Cry out to God
First, the psalmist begins with a cry to God. A lament. An outpouring from his heart. Second, we enter into the story as we read the writer’s heartfelt agonies and as he questions God. Third, by each psalm’s end, the psalmist finds his hope and help in God once again.
It’s truly amazing when we consider the transformation from the beginning of one psalm to the next. There’s the cry of our heart. Then there’s the crying out of our emotions. Finally, once we have called out to God our soul can be at rest again for we know God has heard our prayers.
God’s mercy never fails
Just as this passage in Psalm 66 states, “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!” God’s mercy over me (and you) is never lacking.
Our hope is in God
Sure, our circumstances may not change immediately…and in some cases they may never change at all. But if we are finding our hope in God and we trust in His goodness and His sovereignty, then we will learn to rest peacefully…even in the midst of the storm.
God will not turn away from us
In this particular psalm, the writer calls out for everyone who loves the Lord to hear what He has done. The psalmist tells us he cried out to God and He praised Him for what He had done. Then he acknowledges that if the position of his own heart isn’t right, the Lord will not hear. But his heart is right so God attends to his cries. Again, this writer’s plea for help can encourage us greatly because…God will not turn away from us in our hour or need. Nor will He remove His mercy from us!
Questions for Personal Reflection:
- Today I choose one psalm to read from the book of Psalms and then study it to see how the writer’s heart and mind is transformed from despair to a renewed hope in God.
- Selecting several psalms to today, I will spend time immersing myself in the writers’ stories and journal how God offered real time grace and strength in each one.
- My focus today will be on the mercy of God. I’ll look up psalms that speak of God’s ongoing mercy through all our days and write these down to carry with me.
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