If you were in the middle of a public place like an airport,
grocery store or maybe a ballgame and all of a sudden, in even the busy buzz of
noise, you hear a shout, what would you do? Or in the same scenarios, you hear a voice singing, what
would be the tendency of your reaction? For me, I answer with a definite, look around to see from
where it’s coming. We have in
Psalm 65 a wonderful exclamation of praise to God. John MacArthur’s study notes categorize it as "praise for
spiritual blessings and praise for natural blessings". He says it’s a Psalm full of "hopeful, confident,
ever-enthusiastic feelings in response to God’s goodness". And with this praise, he brings out,
are "no complaints or curses".
Verses one through five rehearse the wonderful spiritual
blessings to man: praise, performed vows, forgiveness, chosen, nearness
dwelling, answers, salvation, and trust.
And there is so much that can be gleaned from this Psalm, but as the
final for my “Just Five Psalms” posts, I’d like to bring out one jewel taken
from the second part. The praise
of the natural blessings is verbalized as the writer’s prerogative by nature
itself. “You make the dawn and the
sunset shout for joy…and the valleys are covered with grain; they shout for
joy, yes, they sing.”
As I envisioned this scenario, it dawned on me (excuse the
pun) that the sun, from the rising to the setting does just that. One cannot help but take notice of
light penetrating the darkness like a shout that would be noticed in the midst
of a busy crowd. It comes up
piecing through the night with its gladness and it goes down beautifully
arrayed with ever-changing color shouting it’s wonder until it disappears. And the hills, meadows and valleys
covered with grain do their share of shouting for joy and singing. I cannot help but take in the wonder of
it all as I ride down a country road. Feasting on the beauty all around in nature’s shouting
and singing fest, I cannot help but
pay attention and look around.
Nature’s verbal display to and from God are scenes I never want to take
for granted. I must look. And I, too, must praise! For to enjoy the creation while being
personally united to the Creator is a joy upon joy that will never be taken from
me. I am, as John MacArthur says,
full of "hopeful, confident and ever-enthusiastic feelings in response to God’s
goodness". And may my complaints
grow dim in the glow.
