Psalm 65

By James C. Van Der Walt

Psalm 65 expresses thanks for rain, which in the dry climate of the Middle East is seen as a blessing from God. People pray for rain so they can irrigate their crops, so that the harvest will be abundant, so that the community can be fed, so that neighbors can enjoy a comfortable existence side-by-side with one another. It is easier to live peacefully when the community experiences abundance rather than scarcity. The psalmist makes three assertions:

We are grateful to God for listening to our prayers. Will God hear and respond to our prayer for rain? Sometimes we feel that God simply can’t respond to our needs. Can God, invisibly tucked away in heaven, do anything about the broken relationship in our life? Yes, affirms the psalmist! God does send rain to water the arid portions of our lives.

We acknowledge that God has the power to deliver us. It is an act of faith to pray for precipitation. God sends what we need when we need it. Looking at our prayer life in retrospect, we usually discover that to be the case. God listens and responds to our prayers, delivering rain to our areas of greatest need – in God’s time, not on our predetermined schedule.

We celebrate God’s action in our lives. Prayer is not a pious addition to events that would have happened anyway. It is a force that allows events to occur that never would have occurred without prayer. God hears our cry! God sends the rain! And for that we are thankful.

SUGGESTION FOR MEDITATION:

Pray that God might water the arid portions of your life.