Psalm 65 - The Hearer of Prayers

Chad Werkhoven

4 days ago

God doesn't just hear your prayers, but He listens and answers.

Psalm 65

For the director of music. A psalm of David. A song.

1 Praise awaits you, our God, in Zion;

to you our vows will be fulfilled.

2 You who answer prayer,

to you all people 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 and righteous deeds,

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 The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;

where morning dawns, where 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 wilderness 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.

Canons of Dordt

Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election

Articles 1-11

Article 12: The Assurance of Election

Assurance of their eternal and unchangeable election to salvation is given to the chosen in due time,
1. though by various stages
2. and in differing measure.
Such assurance comes
1. not by inquisitive searching into the hidden and deep things of God,
2. but by noticing within themselves,
  1. with spiritual joy and holy delight,
  2. the unmistakable fruits of election pointed out in God’s Word—
  3. such as
    1. a true faith in Christ,
    2. a childlike fear of God,
    3. a godly sorrow for their sins,
    4. a hunger and thirst for righteousness, and so on.

Summary

So many of the psalms model how we ought to pour out our laments and place our needs before God in prayer. So often it seems like we go from one crisis to the next, and we either forget or fail to notice in the first place how the needs we were praying for a year ago or even a week ago were met by our Father. This 65th psalm guides us in praising God for the many different ways that God answers our prayers. Mark Futato explains that Psalm 65 focuses on three kinds of our prayers that God hears and consistently answers for us, for which we must give Him praise.

1) Praise for Restoration to the Divine Presence (v1-4)

David, as he often does so well, begins his prayer by acknowledging who God is. He is the one who answers prayer and forgives our transgressions. Because God has been so faithful, praise awaits Him, our God, in Zion. David picks up on the themes that underlie the Canons of Dordt, noting that blessed are those God chose and brought near to live in your courts!

2) Praise for Awesome Deeds (v5-8)

The fact that we fail to notice all of the prayers God has answered on our behalf is not because God's response is so hard to see. God answers us with awesome and righteous deeds. God answers your prayers with the same power that He used to form the mountains, stilled the roaring seas and the turmoil of the nations. This is why God our Savior is the hope of all the ends of the earth, which is filled with His wonders, and why we ought to respond with awe and songs of joy.

3) Praise for Abundant Provisions (v9-13)

God's awesome deeds extend far beyond just giving us good things and then expecting us to take it from there. Our Father deserves our praise because of His ongoing providence and care. Notice the repetition in how David expresses God's care: He provides abundantly (3x) and causes good things to overflow (2x).

Dig Deeper

David is very literal as He addresses God in v2. Literally translated, he calls God the hearer of prayer, a phrase which is preserved in the ESV and NET translations. But I think the NIV did well to translate the phrase as you who answers prayer. The Hebrew word being translated, shema, means more than just to hear, but to listen and act upon what is heard. What good would it be to have a god who heard the noise of our prayers but never listened to them or acted upon them?

But our God truly listens and in response provides you with exactly what you need, and He does so in abundance! Of course this doesn't mean He always gives you what you ask for, but again, if you go back and look at what you were praying for a week ago, or a year ago, or a decade ago, you'll probably be thankful He didn't give you all that you wanted at the time.

AAA Prayer (About)

ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who fills with good things those He has chosen to bring near;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will recognize the abundance of God's provision in your life, and thank Him for not just hearing your prayers, but for answering them as well;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: