1 What mighty praise, O God,
belongs to you in Zion.
We will fulfill our vows to you,
2 for you answer our prayers.
All of us must come to you.
3 Though we are overwhelmed by our sins,
you forgive them all.
4 What joy for those you choose to bring near,
those who live in your holy courts.
What festivities await us
inside your holy Temple. NLT
Read through these first four verses of Psalm 65 a few times over. Then answer this question: Why should we not keep our praise of God private?
In verses 2-4, what does God do for his people that produces such joy?
Describe a time in your life when you had this kind of joy.
What would a church community look like today that has this kind of joy? What impact would that have on our Sunday morning gathering times, or our neighborhood activities, or on caring for those in need, or on our intentionality towards the next generations?
::::: EQUIPPING CHALLENGE :::::
Read through these verses a few more times and ask God to reveal to you the answer to these two questions:
* What role do I have in the development of a joyful community?
* How could I help others discover their role in this also?