The Abundance of God’s Love

Psalm 65 (NIRV)
Our God, we look forward to praising you in Zion.
    We will keep our promises to you.
2 All people will come to you,
    because you hear and answer prayer.
3 When our sins became too much for us,
    you forgave our lawless acts.
4 Blessed are those you choose
    and bring near to worship you.
You bring us into the courtyards of your holy temple.
    There in your house we are filled with all kinds of good things.

5 God our Savior, you answer us with right and wonderful deeds.
People all over the world and beyond the farthest oceans
    put their hope in you.
6 You formed the mountains by your power.
    You showed how strong you are.
7 You calmed the oceans and their roaring waves.
    You calmed the angry words and actions of the nations.
8 Everyone on earth is amazed at the wonderful things you have done.
    What you do makes people from one end of the earth to the other sing for joy.

9 You take care of the land and water it.
    You make it able to grow many crops.
You fill your streams with water.
    You do that to provide the people with grain.
    That’s what you have decided to do for the land.
10 You water its rows.
    You smooth out its bumps.
You soften it with showers.
    And you bless its crops.
11 You bring the year to a close with huge crops.
    You provide more than enough food.
12 The grass grows thick even in the desert.
    The hills are dressed with gladness.
13 The meadows are covered with flocks and herds.
    The valleys are dressed with grain.
    They sing and shout for joy.

Psalm 65 speaks of the abundance of God's love. Verse 7, about the calming of the oceans and the rolling of the waves, reminds us of Jesus in the boat with the storm, which He stilled after saying to the disciples, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”  (Matthew 8:26) This showed the people of Israel that Jesus was God; He could still the storms, just as God does in this Psalm.

This Psalm was written 1000 years before Jesus was born, traditionally by David. It reminds us in verse 3, “When our sins became too much for us, you forgave our lawless acts.” Some people find this hard to accept. It is sort of saying, no matter what you have done, no matter what evil you have done, as long as you repent and are sorry, then forgiveness can be yours. Yet, when it comes to forgiveness, some people are so entrenched in pain and wanting justice by way of revenge, that they cannot accept that God can forgive. It is vital you remember that you have to repent, you have to be sorry.

In Theological College, we had to debate whether or not Jesus would have forgiven Judas. There were strong feelings either way, but in the end, it was decided that because Jesus was God - a God of love - even Judas would have been forgiven. So verse 3 reminds us, even though it is unpalatable, if there is the desire to repent, then they will be met by a God of forgiveness. 

Verses 6 - 13 are all about God’s abundance. “Everyone on earth is amazed at the wonderful things you have done.” Take a moment to think to yourself, how amazed are you about the wonderful things God has done? How has God developed you and made you the beautiful person that you are today?

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This sermon was first preached at Gants Hill URC on 3rd October 2021