"A Year Crowned With Bounty"
Ps. 65:1-13
You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.
Intro:
It has been a year since our last Thanksgiving service; 12 months have passed since the 19th of last November - the Sunday before Thanksgiving day last year. To borrow from the sentiment of this verse, it has been a year God has crowned with His bounty.
In many ways the year 2001 has been like so many others that have gone before it. And like so many others it has had its share of trials. I am not trying to suggest that this has been a mythical, magical year. I am merely agreeing with the Word of God. The Lord has blessed us in the past year. And we are remiss if we are not thankful for those blessings.
Psalm 65 is a psalm of Thanksgiving. In these verses David enumerates several blessings we might otherwise overlook.
He Hears Your Prayers
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.
The second verse tells us the Lord hears prayer. Small children, when learning to say their prayers, will often ask their parents at night, "Are you going to listen to me say my prayers?" That question does not cease with childhood. On a regular basis it is asked of the Lord by millions of adults around the world. It may be a silent question which lingers at the back of the mind but many wonder if God is listening. The Bible assures us that He is.
He hears our prayers.
What a boon that is to us! Just this week I reviewed some of the prayers we’ve prayed over the past year. They represent family situations, unsaved loved ones, sicknesses of every description, medical tests, prayers for wisdom in various circumstances, travel mercies, Chinh’s acceptance into an American college, the leaders of our country, persecuted Christians, all the things that concern us.
He forgives our sins.
When we were overwhelmed with our sins, David said, the Lord forgave us. Little sins, overwhelming sins. It makes no difference, the Lord forgives.
He draws us close.
He fills us with good things.
It’s not just that he fills us with things from His house. The things He fills us with are good things.
v:5 He answers our prayers - and does awesome stuff in the process.
He is our hope.
He is the hope of the whole earth.
He gives our songs of joy.
He not only gives us songs of joy but He actually calls for them in the morning.
He Cares for Your Needs
He gives hope. He gives joy.
He takes care of the land. He waters the ground and blesses the crops. As far removed as most of our society is from the soil we need to always remember to thank the Lord for His blessings on the ground and it’s crops. These are the source of all our food in one way or another. These blessings represent life.
The words bounty ... overflow ... abundance. .... clothed ... covered ...mantled ... shout ... sing are all expressions of the manner and amount of God’s blessings in our lives. No one can ever accuse God of giving stingily or beggarly or grudgingly. He gives generously, bountifully, liberally and abundantly.
God’s purse is not a bag with a drawstring with a mousetrap hidden inside. A pry bar isn’t needed to pry a dollar from His wallet. Lincoln doesn’t squeak when leaving the Lord’s hand.
When He gives rain it falls in a copious outpouring. When He blesses a harvest it is earmarked by His signature of abundance. The average yield is a blessing. The normal amount of produce is wonderful, but, all things being equal, you don’t consider the normal, expected, predicable yield as miraculous. Generosity beyond expectation is recognized as the hand of God.
Our verse says, You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. A few other versions say, and thy paths drop fatness. (KJV, ASB) Another reads, Your paths drip with abundance. (NKJV) The idea is wherever God goes He spills an abundance in His wake. My wife says when she was little she would sometimes wake up to find that her dad had left a candy bar on the counter or TV for each of the kids. The Bible says when God passes He generously drips abundance along the way. He deliberately leaves goodies for us to find.
In the Old Testament it was the Law not to pick every ear of corn and every head of wheat. Israel was commanded to leave some on the edges and in the corners of the field for travelers to eat. In the book of Ruth Boaz instructed his workers to leave handfuls on purpose for Ruth to gather in her gleanings. (2:16)
Close:
He crowns the year with His bounty!
This year as you count your blessings don’t forget to count those mentioned here in Ps. 65.
He hears our prayers.
He forgives our sins.
He draws us close.
He fills us with good things.
He answers our prayers.
He is our hope.
He gives us joy.
He takes care of the land.
Doubly Good To You
If you see the moon
Rising gently on your fields
If the wind blows softly on your face
If the sunset lingers
While cathedral bells peal
And the moon has risen to her place
You can thank the Father
For the things that He has done
And thank Him for the things He’s yet to do
And if you find a love that’s tender
If you find someone who’s true
Then thank the Lord
He’s been doubly good to you
If you look in the mirror
At the end of a hard day
And you know in your heart tat you have not lied
If you gave love freely
If you earned an honest wage
And if you’ve got Jesus by your side
You can thank the Father
For the things that He has done
And thank Him for the things He’s yet to do
And if you find a love that’s tender
If you find someone who’s true
Then thank the Lord
He’s been doubly good to you
(repeat ...)
Thank the Lord
He’s been doubly good to you
- Rich Mullins
