Why do we shout for joy to God? The first part of Psalm 66 gives us the obvious reasons. We praise God for His great power (v. 3), and for the way He has used that power in the salvation and protection of His people. The Psalmist gives us a particular example in verse 6, and he may have had two particular incidents in mind – when God parted the Red Sea so that the people could escape from Pharaoh’s army, and when God parted the Jordan River to allow the people to enter the Promised Land. And it is still easy for us to declare God’s praise to everyone as verses 16 and 17 describe, when things are going the way we think they should.

But the psalm also mentions some more difficult times – times when other nations got the upper hand over God’s people. Verse 12 could refer to the days of the Judges, when the pagan nations surrounding Israel invaded them and even conquered parts of their territory for a time. And of course, the Psalm could refer to the even later events of the Assyrian conquest of northern Israel and the Babylonian conquest of the area around Judea. Truly, at all those times, God’s people were caught in a net, and had heavy burdens laid upon them (v. 11).

And yet even at his people’s lowest point, the Psalmist continues to acknowledge the mighty power of God, the same power that parted the Red Sea and the Jordan River. In fact, in verses 11 and 12, he makes it plain that God Himself had allowed His people to fall into the hands of their enemies. And in verse 10, he explains at least part of the reason – to test their faith.

And isn’t it the case that our faith grows best when it is under stress? After all, when everything’s going right, when we’re living through the triumph of verse 6, we don’t really need to trust God, do we? It’s only when we’re walking through the hard times of verses 10-12 that we need to depend upon His power and love. It’s only then that our faith has a chance to grow.

So, that’s the challenge for us – to rejoice in the Lord during all the seasons of life that this Psalm describes. Will we put away iniquity from our heart (v. 18), will we offer ourselves up to Him completely, will we keep our vows of allegiance and obedience to Him (v. 13), will we bear testimony to His power and His love not only in the good times, but also in the tough times? As Paul says in Philippians 4:4, will we rejoice in the Lord always?

Psalm 66 (ESV)

To the choirmaster. A Song. A Psalm. Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
2 sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!
3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
4 All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.” Selah
5 Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.
6 He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There did we rejoice in him,
7 who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations– let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah
8 Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard,
9 who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip.
10 For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.
11 You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs;
12 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.
13 I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will perform my vows to you,
14 that which my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
15 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. Selah
16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
17 I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue.
18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
19 But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!