The Blessing
By William M. Self, Sr.
If we want the blessing of a New Year
We should sing the
song of Psalms 65
“Praise awaits you, O
God, in Zion;
to you our vows will
be fulfilled.”
New Year’s Eve is celebrated everywhere in the world.
The old and the new kiss each
other at the strike of mid-night.
It does not matter if you celebrate
it with fireworks or snoring…
The New Year arrives.
I think Psalms 65 is a New Year Psalm or song.
In the middle of the Psalm we read…
“You crown the year
with your bounty,
and your carts
overflow with abundance.”
“…where morning dawns
and evening fades
you call forth songs
of joy.”
The Psalmist recognizes the old and the
new as being full of God’s blessing.
The Psalmist also recognizes those
who the Lord chooses are blessed.
“Blessed are those you choose
and bring near to live
in your courts!
We are filled with the
good things
of your house, of your
holy temple.”
This is the reason the Psalmist
starts the song with a declaration.
Two declarations for the New Year…
“Praise awaits you”
The singers of this song have taken
inventory and are
full of gratitude.
They are looking for the Lord’s arrival, not for
what they can get,
but what they will give to God…
God when you arrive we
are waiting with praise.
The second declaration to start the New Year is…
“To you our vows will be fulfilled.”
The singers of this song are not
singing about what God will do…
They are singing of what they will do.
They are not reminding God of
His promises and
commitment…
They are singing about renewing their commitment;
fulfilling their
commitment to God.
As you and I start a New Year…
Does praise await?
Is the most important thing on our minds
living out a committed life to Christ?
Are we focused on getting the Lord’s attention
so we will be chosen for a year of blessing?
Scripture Reading
Psalm 65 NIV
65 Praise awaits you, O God, in Zion;
to you our vows will be fulfilled.
2 O you who
hear prayer,
to you all
men will come.
3 When we
were overwhelmed by sins,
you forgave
our transgressions.
4 Blessed are those you choose
and bring near to live in your
courts!
We are filled with the good things of
your house,
of your holy temple.
5 You answer
us with awesome deeds of righteousness,
O God our
Savior,
the hope of
all the ends of the earth
and of the
farthest seas,
6 who formed
the mountains by your power,
having armed
yourself with strength,
7 who
stilled the roaring of the seas,
the roaring
of their waves,
and the
turmoil of the nations.
8 Those
living far away fear your wonders;
where
morning dawns and evening fades
you call
forth songs of joy.
9 You care
for the land and water it;
you enrich
it abundantly.
The streams
of God are filled with water
to provide
the people with grain,
for so you
have ordained it.
10 You
drench its furrows
and level
its ridges;
you soften
it with showers and bless its crops.
11 You crown the year with your bounty,
and your
carts overflow with abundance.
12 The
grasslands of the desert overflow;
the hills
are clothed with gladness.
13 The
meadows are covered with flocks
and the
valleys are mantled with grain;
they shout
for joy and sing.
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