Call to Worship: Shout for Joy (Psalm 66:1-9, 16-20)

Call to Worship (Psalm 66)

C: Shout for joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious. Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name

L: Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind! He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot—come, let us rejoice in him.

C: He rules forever by his power, his eyes watch the nations—let not the rebellious rise up against him. Praise our God, all peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard; he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.

L: Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart,  the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

Psalm 66:10-12: The Refining Season

For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance. - Psam 66:10-12

Wimp that I am, sections of the Bible like these make me cringe. I must not be the only one, because I notice that worship song writers tend to skip over these, too. I guess I prefer to be happy and assume that all of the refining that God needs to do will be some sort of dermal micro-abrasion. But the changes that need to occur in me require heart transformation, by bringing my true character to the surface where it can be purified. God uses through four things to do this:

1. Difficult work ("laid burdens on our backs")
2. Personal shame ("brought us into prison")
3. Submission to people we don't like or respect ("men ride over our heads")
4. Physical hardship ("through fire and water")

Why does God do this? Because he is bringing us through to "a place of abundance."; a place of blessing.

 

Most of us would be happy in the land of mediocrity rather than deal with these things. But our soul longs for more. God desires more. The way to the place of abundance is only through the path of transformation. On that path,  we must leave behind what we cling to so that our hands are open to receive what is so much better.

 

After I have passed through this difficult season, how will I be better able to receive from God? What is he asking me to let go of?