Sometimes I read a Psalm and know it is for me. It is mine. I can say the words the psalmist wrote as though they originated in my own heart, yet it teaches me at the same time. I personalize it, and it is filled with meaning; it speaks deeply to me.

It happened again this morning as I read Psalm 66.

Psalm 66

Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
2 Sing the glory of His name;
Make His praise glorious.
3 Say to God, “How awesome are Your works!
Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will give feigned obedience to You.

4 “All the earth will worship You,

And will sing praises to You;

They will sing praises to Your name.” Selah.

(I can say this! I can long for and work toward all the people of earth praising Him.)

 5 Come and see the works of God,

Who is awesome in His deeds toward the sons of men.
6 He turned the sea into dry land;
They passed through the river on foot;
There let us rejoice in Him!
7 He rules by His might forever;
His eyes keep watch on the nations;
Let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.

(I can read scripture and inform myself of all the mighty works of God in the past. He has done amazing things in my life as well. I need to recount them to myself and others. It is in the telling that the light of knowledge and understanding comes. If we do not recount the great works of God, both distant past and recent past, who will know them? Who will remember and praise His name?)

 8 Bless our God, O peoples,

And sound His praise abroad,
9 Who keeps us in life
And does not allow our feet to slip.
10 For You have tried us, O God;
You have refined us as silver is refined.
11 You brought us into the net;
You laid an oppressive burden upon our loins.
12 You made men ride over our heads;
We went through fire and through water,

(From childhood He has watched over my life, even though He let me go through very dark and deep waters of struggle. He has been with me on those paths. He has kept me alive the many times when Death clawed at the gates of my life to snatch me away. He kept me going day to day when I had no strength to carry on. Though weakness dogged my every step, God has been my strength and help. Though disease and death have threatened my life, God has declared life for me to this day.)

Yet You brought us out into a place of abundance.

(He has surrounded me with love and encouragement and cared for me through the people He placed in my life. He has given me the desire of my heart to serve Him. I have so much to be thankful for!)
13 I shall come into Your house with burnt offerings;
I shall pay You my vows,
14 Which my lips uttered
And my mouth spoke when I was in distress.
15 I shall offer to You burnt offerings of fat beasts,
With the smoke of rams;
I shall make an offering of bulls with male goats. Selah.

(Though I do not bring animal sacrifices, I do bring the sacrifice of praise, the fruit of my lips giving thanks to His name in the midst of pain and struggle. I bring the sacrifices of doing good and sharing with others; sacrifices with which He is pleased [Hebrews 13: 15, 16]. I move on, move forward in life day after day, making the choice to be thankful and living ‘outwardly’, extending myself in various ways to serve others with the strength He gives. Life is not all about taking; we must give out to others from the good God gives us. With these sacrifices He is pleased.)

16 Come and hear, all who fear God,
And I will tell of what He has done for my soul.
17 I cried to Him with my mouth,
And He was extolled with my tongue.

(Such a reminder for me to tell others of God’s goodness and faithfulness to me! Though I sometimes feel like I have nothing to say that others are not saying, and often much better, I am reminded in this passage that I have the personal responsibility to speak forth His praises, to tell of His marvelous good works toward me; so that all who hear may give back praise to God.)   

18 If I regard wickedness in my heart,

The Lord will not hear;
19 But certainly God has heard;
He has given heed to the voice of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer
Nor His lovingkindness from me.

(Oh Lord, may I daily walk with You in the Light! Cleanse and forgive. I desire to walk in humility with You, so You can always hear my cries to You in prayer, so I can continue to know Your lovingkindness for me. So I can bring You glory in this short lifetime.)

(Scripture from the NASB. All remarks in parentheses are mine.)

Did your heart join in the psalmist’s words, too? Did you substitute your life experiences of struggle and God’s great lovingkindnesses to you, for the psalmist’s and mine? We all have a story to tell of how God has been working in our lives; we can enter into the words of the writer. We can and should thankfully declare the wonderful works of the Lord. We all can live a life of doing good and sharing with others, and please the Lord in the doing.

Then all who hear our words and see our lives can give praise back to our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:15).