66:1-4 There was power in worship. He knew that proclaiming the power of our God is an act of reverence as well as remembrance. Worship is the acknowledgement that things things and people are within His authority. For the righteous, that is reason for praise. For the wicked, it is occasion for either reconfiguration or inevitable destruction.
66:5-7 Meditation and observation on the will and creation of God supplements our faith. Not only is our God kind and powerful, He uses that kindness and power to restore and establish us. On the land of this earth we rejoice and praise the God who created it for us. We praise the God who has led us across it, the God whose love has persevered with us through generations.
66:8-12 Humanities history with God is rich and complex. He has endured our selfishness at times, cherished our faithfulness and love at other times. We have endured His discipline, benefited from His faithfulness and love at all times. Though He has cherished us, we have many times forgotten Him and neglected His statues and laws and commandments. No matter what, however, God has always brought us out into fulfillment.
66:13-15 The psalmist promised to make vows to God and keep them, to sacrifice to God. He made burnt-offerings but our offering, since the life and death and resurrection of Jesus, is the sacrifice of the worldly things in our life. We trade them for what Heaven has taught us to value: truth, wisdom, compassion and righteousness.
66:16-19 If you revere God, listen, the psalmist called. Listen to him explain how God saved and healed and filled his soul. Listen to him as he describes our attentive Father, who hears and answers and forgives. God attends to the prayers of the righteous.
66:20 Our Father is unfailingly receptive to our prayers. We are constant beneficiaries of His mercy.
