I love Psalm 66 because it gets at something that I think that most of us aren't very good at. Psalm 66, I would entitle, "Count Your Blessings." As I introduce Psalm 66, I want to return to a theme that we discussed when we looked at Psalm 42, and it's this-that you and I talk to ourselves all the time. We talk to ourselves even when we're not aware of it. When you're doing all those mindless tasks that you do every day, that you can do without thinking anymore, you are still thinking, you are having an inner conversation.
And your inner conversation is profoundly important. Your inner conversation is deeply theological, and because it is, it shapes your sense of identity, it shapes your meaning and purpose, it shapes your inner sense of well-being, and it shapes the way you live your life.
Now, we get closer to Psalm 66. Sadly, for many of us, our inner talk is marked most by grumbling and complaining. We always can find things to complain about. And so, we repeat to ourselves how bad things are, how much better things could be, and that has an enormous effect on us spiritually, it has an enormous effect on our joy, it has an enormous effect on our doubt of God and his goodness.
So, Psalm 66 counsels us to be better at counting our blessings than we are at numbering our complaints.
Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise!
Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
All the earth worships you
and sings praises to you;
they sing praises to your name."
Come and see what God has done:
he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.
He turned the sea into dry land;
they passed through the river on foot.
There did we rejoice in him,
who rules by his might forever,
whose eyes keep watch on the nations--
let not the rebellious exalt themselves.
Bless our God, O peoples;
let the sound of his praise be heard,
who has kept our soul among the living
and has not let our feet slip.
For you, O God, have tested us;
you have tried us as silver is tried.
You brought us into the net;
you laid a crushing burden on our backs;
you let men ride over our heads;
we went through fire and through water;
yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.
I will come into your house with burnt offerings;
I will perform my vows to you,
that which my lips uttered
and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals,
with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;
I will make an offering of bulls and goats.
Come and hear, all you who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
I love this: it's "I want to talk to you (this is the Psalm) about all the good things God has done for me."
Determine to count your blessings; look for God's presence, God's grace, God's blessing, God's help, God's provision, God's protection in your life. That's exactly what this Psalm does. As the Psalmist recounts his life, he recounts it through the lens of the presence, the power, the grace, the help of God.
Thank him even for his discipline. The Bible says, "Whom the Lord loves, he disciplines." Those hardships in his hands are tools of grace. Talk to others about the way God has blessed you. Be amazed that he hears your prayers. Be amazed that he never rejects you. Today, how about making this commitment to be way better at counting your blessings than you are at numbering your complaints?
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. Why do you think it's so much easier to complain about your life instead of counting your blessings? If you were to take inventory of your thought life and categorize the inner conversations you have with you, how much would you label as positive, life-giving dialogue with yourself? How much would you say is honoring to God or being accusatory of God?
2. How can you intentionally shift your inner dialogue from complaining toward counting your blessings, looking for God's presence, grace, help, provision, and protection? Why is it so important to focus on the character of God as you think about his control over your life?
3. It's at times when you don't feel blessed that counting your blessings is so important. Take some time right now to list out the blessings God has given to you. Think intentionally about the people, circumstances, and experiences you've been blessed with, and then thank God for how he has granted you these good things. Consider even his discipline in your life to be a blessing (because it is!), and thank him for his tools of grace in your life. Now take some time and share your list with a spouse, child, family member, or close friend, and rejoice together in the ways God has blessed you.
Conversation Prompts to Use with Children
For Younger Children:
• Would you say that you're happy about your life or more annoyed that things don't go the way you want them to go? Why do you think it's important for you and me to focus more on what we're thankful for instead of things to complain about?
• How do you feel when you complain about things? How do you feel when you're being thankful about things? How do you think other people around you feel when you complain or are thankful?
• Let's make lists of all the things we're thankful for in life, and then share them with each other. Then let's pray and thank God for all the ways he's blessed us.
For Older Children:
• Is it easier to verbally complain about your life or be glad about your life? Why? In the privacy of your own mind, would you say you're more prone to complain or be thankful about the way your life is going?
• How do you normally feel when you have a complaining spirit? How do you normally feel when you have a thankful heart? How do you think your friends or the other people around you feel when you get caught up in a complaining spirit? A thankful spirit?
• What can you and I do together to focus more on the things we are thankful for in life? Maybe share a weekly bullet pointed list of what we're thankful for? Let's pray right now and thank God for anything and everything we can think of in our lives.
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