Atonement, Salvation, and Providence

Psalms 65:1-13
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.

1 Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion;
And to You the vow shall be performed.

2 O You who hear prayer,
To You all flesh will come.

3 Iniquities prevail against me;
As for our transgressions,
You will provide atonement for them.

4 Blessed is the man You choose,
And cause to approach You,
That he may dwell in Your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Of Your holy temple.

5 By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us,
O God of our salvation,
You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth,
And of the far-off seas;

6 Who established the mountains by His strength,
Being clothed with power;
7 You who still the noise of the seas,
The noise of their waves,
And the tumult of the peoples.

8 They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs;
You make the outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice.

9 You visit the earth and water it,
You greatly enrich it;
The river of God is full of water;
You provide their grain,
For so You have prepared it.

10 You water its ridges abundantly,
You settle its furrows;
You make it soft with showers,
You bless its growth.

11 You crown the year with Your goodness,
And Your paths drip with abundance.
12 They drop on the pastures of the wilderness,
And the little hills rejoice on every side.

13 The pastures are clothed with flocks;
The valleys also are covered with grain;
They shout for joy, they also sing.

Praise to God for for His Atonement, Salvation and Providence!  These are worth singing about with thankful hearts and expressive lips.  Because we praise Him, we live in willing obedience as our vows to follow Him.  And because we follow, we praise Him even more.  This is due to knowing that He hears our prayers and covers our sin which covers us with His work of atonement.  This atoning work was shadowed in the sacrifices of old, but now in the last and overarching sacrifice of Christ we find the work completed and atonement set in stone once and for all, forever effectual to deliver us from sin.  He covered it all forever in the work of His Son.  Those who God chooses out of the world are truly blessed, for we can then draw near to God as He draws near to us (James 4:8).  We who are called will live in His holy presence eternally to continue our praise and worship, satisfied forevermore in His goodness.  God has done and will continue to do righteously on our behalf, the one who saves us and gives us certain confidence in the work He has done which cannot be undone (Isaiah 43:13).  These things are as sure as the mountains put in place by His word of power and the taming of the raging seas which He holds back from covering the earth once more (Genesis 9:11, 15).  The signs of wonder which the Lord has done make the peoples of the earth sit back in fearful wonder as He continues to bring rain and cause the sun to rise and set on schedule every day to sustain us all.  He provides food by the rains for food to grow.  His goodness of common grace to all brings abundance and sustenance for the flocks and plants to feed us.  The very pastures and valleys themselves shout in joyful songs of praise to their creator, and so should we.  Our praises for such providence in our lives and His atoning work to bring salvation from sin should make us ever more thankful and result in true prayers of praise and thanksgiving.  This is our story and this is our song, praising Him all the day long.  Amen!