March 7, 2026 -Praise Him, Trust Him, Obey Him

Psalms 66:1-20

Luke 3:1-38

Numbers 14:1-45

Numbers 15:1-41

Bible in a Year Through Song - Day 66 of 365

Psalms 66:1-8 NIV

[1] Shout for joy to God, all the earth! [2] Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious. [3] Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. [4] All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name.” [5] Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind! [6] He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot— come, let us rejoice in him. [7] He rules forever by his power, his eyes watch the nations— let not the rebellious rise up against him. [8] Praise our God, all peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard;

What a great song of praise! Extoling the greatness off God. Reviewing the great acts of God. Calling out His praises in others.

Psalms 66:17 NIV

[17] I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue.

Numbers 14:15-19 NIV

[15] If you put all these people to death, leaving none alive, the nations who have heard this report about you will say, [16] ‘The Lord was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath, so he slaughtered them in the wilderness.’ [17] “Now may the Lord’s strength be displayed, just as you have declared: [18] ‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’ [19] In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.”

I always find it amusing that Moses and others tell God why He needs to do what they want Him to do because other people will not believe in His greatness. They seem to think that by telling Him who He is that they can change His mind. In reality I think He responds because they are reminding themselves who He is. Because they are expressing their concern for what people will think about God. When I pray I do not pray expecting God to do what I want Him to do but to do what is the best thing to do. I think that a big part of prayer is about acknowledging God's power and greatness and agreeing with Him. It is about expressing our trust in Him as well as strengthening our ability to deal with whatever we are praying for.

Numbers 14:20-23 NIV

[20] The Lord replied, “I have forgiven them, as you asked. [21] Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, [22] not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times— [23] not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.

The Lord forgave as requested but there were still consequences. We are in no position to tell God how to answer our prayers and even when His answer is yes that doesn't mean it will look like what we want it to.

Numbers 14:39-45 NIV

[39] When Moses reported this to all the Israelites, they mourned bitterly. [40] Early the next morning they set out for the highest point in the hill country, saying, “Now we are ready to go up to the land the Lord promised. Surely we have sinned!” [41] But Moses said, “Why are you disobeying the Lord’s command? This will not succeed! [42] Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies, [43] for the Amalekites and the Canaanites will face you there. Because you have turned away from the Lord, he will not be with you and you will fall by the sword.” [44] Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the highest point in the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord’s covenant moved from the camp. [45] Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.

When we decide that we know what yes is supposed to look like we will be outside of God's will and suffer even greater consequences. God forgave them and did not wipe them out on the spot. He forgave and kept His promise that the Israelites would take possession of the promised land. But it wasn't going to happen in their timing. It would happen in God's timing and in the way He had ordained it. Just like the Israelites when we try to make something happen the way we think it should happen, we will be routed and turned back.

So, Praise Him, Trust Him and Obey Him.