Glorious Praise

A Reflection on the Psalm for May 17th, 2020:
Sixth Sunday of Easter

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Psalm 66

R. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!

Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise. Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!” 

R. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!

“All the earth worships you; they sing praises to you, sing praises to your name.” Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds among the children of Adam. 

R. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!

He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There we rejoiced in him, who rules by his might forever. 

R. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!

Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me. 

R. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!

Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

My husband and I are blessed to have a beautiful property, surrounded by trees that are frequented by songbirds, squirrels, deer, and the occasional other visitor. Too often I sit out in the yard, distracted by my phone, while the activity of nature goes on around me. Sitting there with this psalm gave me cause to pause. All around me, His creation was making a joyful noise to Him! Trees were swaying, birds were singing, squirrels were chirping — all in simple gratitude for what He has given them. Not worried about what may come tomorrow, they were simply living gratefully and joyfully in their present moment in the plan He had for them.

How often do I stop to ponder and praise Him for all He has done and will do in my life and the lives of those I love? I have so many concrete examples of when I could say He had turned the sea into dry land for me so that I could pass through the obstacle that was standing between where I was and where He wanted me to be, and I have too often taken that for granted. When I stop and listen for that still small voice, He is always quietly orienting me toward His plan.

In recent years I was facing a constant crisis that was disrupting my thinking. I would often take it to prayer, telling God in precise terms what He should do to deal with this crisis. I know now that He was hearing those prayers, even though I believed He wasn’t, since clearly, He was not following my instructions. He was sitting quietly, arms open wide around me, lovingly and patiently waiting for me to hear His plan for the situation. After several years of me praying for my will to be done, I finally heard The Voice. I had been praying for Him to change a situation instead of praying for the wisdom to understand how I needed to change in the situation. I heard that I was called to love unconditionally, in the exact way that He loves me, and to stop standing between Him and the person I was praying for Him to change.

When I stopped talking long enough to listen to Him, the sea turned into dry land, and oh how awesome were His deeds when I got out of His way!

Lord, let me never miss the opportunity to give You glorious praise and to tell what You have done for me! Amen! Alleluia!




Sandy Graves ​

Photo by Jim Jacob on Unsplash

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