Worship 5 – make His praise glorious

The aim of this devotional study is to reflect on the splendor or Biblical Praise.

Scripture

Psalms 66:1-20

1  Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! 2  Sing out the honor of His name; Make His praise glorious.  3  Say to God, “How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You. 4  All the earth shall worship You And sing praises to You; They shall sing praises to Your name.” Selah [i.e. pause and reflect]

5  Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.  6  He turned the sea into dry land; They went through the river on foot. There we will rejoice in Him. 7  He rules by His power forever; His eyes observe the nations; Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah

8  Oh, bless our God, you peoples! And make the voice of His praise to be heard, 9  Who keeps our soul among the living, And does not allow our feet to be moved. 10  For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined. 11  You brought us into the net; You laid affliction on our backs. 12  You have caused men to ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water; But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.

13  I will go into Your house with burnt offerings; I will pay You my vows, 14  Which my lips have uttered And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble. 15  I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals, With the sweet aroma of rams; I will offer bulls with goats. Selah

16  Come and hear, all you who fear God, And I will declare what He has done for my soul. 17  I cried to Him with my mouth, And He was extolled with my tongue. 18  If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear. 19  But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer. 20  Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, Nor His mercy from me!

Observation

1. Summarise the Psalmist message in the following sections:
   1. Verses 1-4
   2. Verses 5-7
   3. Verses 8-12
   4. Verses 13-15
   5. Verses 16-20
2. In each of the 5 sections above, list what God is praised for.
3. In each of the 5 sections above, list how God is praised.

Application and Reflection

1. The Psalmist exhorts the hearers to “Make His praise glorious.” How does one “make Hos praise glorious?” – what can you learn from this Psalm in this regard?  [don’t rush over this]
2. One key themes for which the Psalmist praises God is for faithful protection and preservation. Follow the example above:
   1. Direct praise as in this Psalm: In personal praise to God “make His praise glorious!”
   2. Indirect praise as in this Psalm: In retelling the events in your life where God has shown Himself faithful and great “make His praise glorious!”