1Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:

2Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.

3Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.

4All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.

5Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.

6He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.

7He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.

8O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard:

9Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.

10For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.

11Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins.

12Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.

13I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows,

14Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.

15I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah.

16Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.

17I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.

18If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

19But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.

20Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.

COMMENTARY by Dr. Dave Burnette

Written By: God through Inspiration

Penned By: David, Asaph, Solomon, Heman, Ethan, Moses, and the Sons of Korah

Date Penned: (1440-586 BC)

Overview: Poetry for the Expression of Praise and Worship to God (c 1-150)

Theme: The Second Book of Psalms (c 42-72)

Message: God Answers Prayer (v 1-20)

Psalms 66 Commentary

(66:5-7) God Protects the Israelites - The writer was remembering God's rescue of the Israelites by parting the Red Sea during the Exodus. God saved the Israelites then, and he continues to save his people today.

(66:10-12) Our Trials - Just as fire refines silver in the smelting process, trials refine our character. They bring us a new and deeper wisdom, helping us discern truth from falsehood and giving us the discipline to do what we know is right. Above all, these trials help us realize that life is a gift from God to be cherished, not a right to be taken for granted.

(66:13-15) Bargaining with God - People sometimes make bargains with God, saying, "If you get me out of this mess, Ill obey you for the rest of my life. Soon after, God gives them what they request. However, they forget the vow and resume their old lifestyle. This writer made a promise to God, but he remembered the promise and was prepared to carry it out. God always keeps his promises and wants us to follow his example. Be careful to follow through on whatever you promise God you will do. 66:8 Our confession of sin must be continual because we continue to do wrong. But true confession requires us to admit our sins to God and to want to stop doing what is wrong. David confessed his sin and prayed, "Cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins" (19:12-13). When we refuse to repent or when we harbor and cherish certain sins, we place a wall between us and God. We may not be able to remember every sin we have ever committed, but when the Holy Spirit brings them to mind, we should confess them and get back on track.

LIFE APPLICATION by Dr. Dave Burnette

Each day, we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter, making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today, we continue in the Book of Psalms with Chapter 66. In our text today, we see a theme of God answering our prayers, which should bring praise or worship to our hearts. What catches my eye is verse 18, which states that the Lord will not hear our prayers if we hold immorality in our hearts. In making application, we see the need to keep our hearts clean before the Lord through our confession and repentance to have our prayers heard. Today, in a world of sin, the standard of a clean heart has been moved so much that a believer not in the Word will hold iniquity in their hearts and, thus, will not have their prayers heard. The key to answered prayer is a life feeding on the Bible, spent on our knees, confessing and repenting of our sins before the Lord. How about you? Are your prayers being heard? Let us learn from our Psalm and text today to remember that an unclean heart before the Lord will keep Him from Hearing our Prayers.