Psalm 65

65:1 - God is worthy of our vows, and that is no small thing. It means that we can trust Him unconditionally. It means that we can and should offer our entire lives to Him. Our existence is fulfilled when we give them to the Lord as living sacrifices...we find out who we are supposed to be when we give ourselves away.

65:2 - ALL flesh will come to God. I love that even in the Old Testament (Writings that are often very Hebrew-centric), we find God's desire that all peoples of the earth would eventually approach Him...He is the God of all and He desires relationship with all. That knowledge should drive us to love unconditionally and welcome those who are different than we are into our community (Where else are the going to interact with the transforming Gospel of Jesus?).

65:3 - This passage says that God atones for our transgressions (our sins), and we know that He poured out the ultimate atoning sacrifice on the cross. Unfortunately, this is such a repeated concept in Christianity that I think it sometimes loses its incredible power. This type of love is revolutionary...this type of love is basically unheard of in humanity...this love is amazing! Our creator God gave His life in our place...died for the sins of His rebellious creation - people who had set themselves as His enemies. That is incredible and awesome!

65:4b - Am I satisfied with the goodness of God's presence? Are you? Are we satisfied with the community found in the Church? I should be, but I constantly find myself chasing after other things - things that I know are not lasting. Why? I allow myself to buy into the lies and the values of this world...I allow myself to ignore the reality of Gods love.

65:7 - Only God can still the waters and the raging storm. Only God can tell a hurricane to "Be quiet" and it responds accordingly. For me, this passage from the OT is yet another picture of Jesus' godliness. He calmed the storm...something only God can do - Jesus is God!

65:12-13 - This reminds of the times I have spent hiking through the continental divided in Colorado. I remember sitting on top of a mountain and just staring in awe at the beauty of God's creation. Those are some of the most powerful times of worship and prayer in my life. The wonder of creation is a testament to God's creativity...His strength...His love!