Devotions: Call on Him with Praise

I cried to Him with my mouth,
And He was extolled with my tongue.

Psalm 66:17 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

This psalm was meant to be a testimony of what God had done in the psalmist's life. He invites us to come and listen. The NLT translates the second line as “Praising as I spoke.” While the psalmist was in trouble, his cry for help was mixed with praise. Even though he hadn’t received an answer yet, he was already praising God. We need to remember the greatness and worthiness of God and praise Him even in the midst of trial, even before our prayers are answered. Because He is good and great even if He doesn’t remove our trials or give us the answer we want. The next verse says that if the psalmist had harbored sin in his heart, God would not have heard him. Sin puts a barrier between us and God. If we have sin that we haven’t repented of for any reason that will put a strain on our relationship with God. Sin is incredibly offensive to God, and should be to us as well. It is so important to make sure that we take care of our sin as soon as possible. The psalmist ends by saying that God did hear his prayer, He did listen to his request, and He answered him. He did not turn him away. God is so faithful! He loves us so much that He delights in answering our prayers! He wants to bless us! Is that not a God worthy of all our praise! Remember, when you call on God, praise Him, too, even before He answers you.