Scripture: Psalm 66:8-9v (NIV)
Subject: "A Cause for Worship"
I: One of the hottest topics in conversations regarding the religious and church community is the steady decline in church attendance. According to multiple polling and survey sources like Pew Research, Gallup, Pew Forum and the Barna Group, the decline in church attendance is not a millennial problem exclusively. One source calls it a "NONES" problem. The source noted: "the most dramatic change is in those who don't identify as religious at all. In 1948, only 2% of Americans considered themselves to be nonreligious. Between 2002 and 2016 the percentage of nonreligious persons jump from 10% to 18%. In 14 years, the number of nonreligious people in the U.S. had grown more than in the previous half-century." The decline in the Protestant, Catholic and Jewish communities has been attributed to the inability of one generation to pass their faith on to another generation and thus the cycle that started in the 1970's has continued into the 21st Century. Perhaps, A.W. Tozer sums up for me my cause for worship when he said, "God, if thou dost never answer another prayer while I live on this earth, I will still worship thee as long as I live and in the ages to come for what thou hast done already."
II: Tozer's statement is precisely the cause for the psalmist worship in the 66th Psalm. The psalmist reflects upon a time in his life and sojourn that God stepped in and completely delivered him. There is no mentioning of a specific occasion in the text but whatever the deliverance was, it was powerful and significant enough to cause the psalmist to worship God. In the first 9 verses of the Psalm, the psalmist encourages the nation to join in the act of worship. The psalmist notes that God's deliverance of Israel necessitated praise from everybody. In verses 10-12, the psalmist addresses God directly and attributed his personal success all to God.
III: We should worship because......
#1) God took our obstacle and made it crossable
-The psalmist recalls one of God's greatest works and miracles ever performed.
-At the Red Sea, God demonstrated God's power and deliverance.
-The scene at the Red Sea caused the psalmist to recapitulate God's ability to not only deliver his people but to also handle their enemies without their assistance or energy.
#2) God preserved our life
-The psalmist praises God for God keeping his life in his hands.
-The shout of v.9 is one word. That word is PRESERVED!
-Because God preserved my life, the traps I should have fallen (slipped) into, I did not fall into them.
#3) God brought me to a place of abundance
-After all the people had been through, they still arrived safely to a place of blessing.
-According to one scholar, "the psalmist acknowledges that God tested them with all kinds of burdens and oppressions but God finally brought them to the place of abundant blessing."
-Whatever you have had to go through will not stop you from getting to the place of abundance that God has designed for you.