God has crowned the YEAR with GOODNESS
Psalm 65:1-13
Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion;
And to You the vow shall be performed.
2 O You who hear prayer,
Who is more deserving of praise flowing from his people, other than God almighty? His plans toward us are always good, his intentions are noble and everything he created is for man to enjoy. So how fitting it is for us to awake daily with praise in our mouths and hearts filled with thanksgiving expressed to our wonderful God. No one knows what this year holds but let us start by determining to praise God for who he is. We have no idea of coming events or changing seasons, but what we are certain of is Jesus holds today and tomorrow. Friends may come and go but rest assured, that God is and will always be there in every waking moment, to guide you along the way. Know that everyday is a GIFT that you must never take for granted and cherish all God’s goodness, mercy and his everlasting love that he showers on you daily.
To You all flesh will come.
3 Iniquities prevail against me;
As for our transgressions,
You will provide atonement for them.
What an amazing act of God’s grace, that David was able see it and and express it. God has prepared himself an atonement in his Son Jesus Christ. God’s redemptive plan did not quit when man messed up, it was already accomplished, and is still working today.
4 Blessed is the man You choose,
And cause to approach You,
That he may dwell in Your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Of Your holy temple.
The greatest place to be is in his courts. We shall be satisfy with his goodness. Live in his courts daily, a place where his presence dwells, a place of abundant life and maximum satisfaction. The greatest fulfillment comes when we abide in his courts.
5 By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us,
O God of our salvation,
You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth,
And of the far-off seas;
6 Who established the mountains by His strength,
Being clothed with power;
7 You who still the noise of the seas,
The noise of their waves,
And the tumult of the peoples.
8 They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs;
You make the outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice.
The splendor of God’s majesty can be seen in his creation. He answers with awesome deeds, He comes to our aid, He is our ever present help in times of trouble. The same God who clothed himself with power, formed the great mountains by his strength, stilled the waves of the seas and the tumult of his peoples, also resides in us. Therefore, you and I possess the power to do amazing things in Jesus Christ.
9 You visit the earth and water it,
You greatly enrich it;
The river of God is full of water;
You provide their grain,
For so You have prepared it.
10 You water its ridges abundantly,
You settle its furrows;
You make it soft with showers,
You bless its growth.
There is absolutely no lack, scarcity, or insufficiency in God. He is loaded with everything. David says it so right, The river of God is full of water, and it will never run dry. God is the source of life, He gives the earth the water it needs to provide food to all its inhabitants. Seek God for his provision and rely totally on him, He is the source of all your supply.
11 You crown the year with Your goodness,
And Your paths drip with abundance.
12 They drop on the pastures of the wilderness,
And the little hills rejoice on every side.
13 The pastures are clothed with flocks;
The valleys also are covered with grain;
They shout for joy, they also sing.
This is the kind of God that Christians serve, yet we fail to see God in all his majesty and glory in our lives. When God crowns the year with his goodness, He places his goodness as his top priority for the year. His desire is to be good to us. It is his goodness, not ours that brings men to repentance (Rom 2:4). How will you respond to his goodness toward you? What will you do with his goodness, but receive it by faith and thank him. The richness of God’s kindness, his forbearance and patience are too much for anyone to refuse him. A crown is a symbol of authority bestowed on someone, likely a monarch. It is placed at the highest level of a person’s body – the head, and it is also known as the highest part of something, such as a hill, peak, crest, summit, pinnacle and so on. What is apparent to me is that God has already crowned your year and mine with goodness. No wonder, his goodness and mercy will surely follow me all the days of my life. He has designed it that way.
God is loaded with abundance, I love how David puts it, his path drips with abundance, When God shows up, He drips all over with abundance, he is overflowing. Everything that God touches comes alive. David concludes this Psalm by saying, “The valleys shout for joy and also sing,” We know that the valleys are not people, they cannot shout, sing or be joyful. However, the imagery and meaning becomes clearer when the valleys are given the character of a joyful person shouting and singing. Now if the valleys could respond to God’s goodness in this way, how much more can we as human beings respond to God.