Refined In The Fire

"Psalm 66:1-12

Celebrating God’s goodness

Do you sometimes feel like you have been ‘to hell and back’? Have you found yourself ‘pushed to the limit’? It may be that God is training you, like silver being refined in the fire.

This psalm celebrates the fact that God had brought his people through very difficult times:

‘He trained us first,
passed us like silver through refining fires ...
pushed us to our very limit,
Road–tested us inside and out,
took us to hell and back;
Finally he brought us
to this well–watered place’ (vv.10–12, MSG).

They did not let this occasion go unmarked. They celebrated. It sounds a fairly noisy affair: ‘All together now – applause for God!’ (v.1, MSG). They sang praise: ‘How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power’ (v.3). They celebrated what God had done (v.5). They rejoiced and praised God in a way that everybody around could hear: ‘Bless our God, O peoples! Give him a thunderous welcome!’ (v.8, MSG).

This is one of the many psalms celebrating God’s goodness. This is what we do every time we come together for worship.

Lord, I celebrate your goodness. I praise you for your great power and all that you have done on my behalf. Thank you that you bring me through fire and water in order to bring me to a place of abundance."

1. Thank You that I can celebrate your goodness, the salvation, and the forgiveness.

2. Thank You for failures that they can open my eyes to the truth, to reality.

3. Thank You for awesome and affordable food for dinner!