Give Him glory because He redeemed us

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. (Psalm 66:5-7)

We can't help but praise Him and spread His glory to all, when we think of how He's redeemed us and how He rules our world!

One of our kiddos has always been entranced by the films and documentaries narrated by Sir David Attenborough. I must agree with her that his quiet words have kept my attention as he narrated the lives of tiny bugs and bacteria, and gargantuan animals and whales. The series that Attenborough wrote and narrated, "Life," was a showcase of spectacular photography of the beautiful world that we live in. (Personally, I just turn my head when one critter starts chomping on another, but the other stuff is lovely to see.) 

It always makes me wonder how anybody can watch a film like that, or just walk around on our planet, and think to themselves, "Gee, isn't it wonderful that all of this just happened by chance?" It's amazing, but they do think (and say) that.

That boggles my mind. To me, it should cause every single person to praise God for this amazing creation! But actually, very few people who watch a sunrise, admire the blooming plants, or enjoy the sights of the animals He lovingly created, will have that response. 
Why?

Because very few have bowed their hearts in submission to the loving, sovereign Lord of creation. They neglect the praise of God and blindly overlook the work of His hands. The psalmist in this song asks us to think of God's awesome power in parting the Red Sea (during the exodus from Egypt) and again forty years later in parting the Jordan River (when they passed into the Promised Land).

Perhaps these are such familiar stories to us that we treat them casually. We may take them for granted. But these were stupendous miracles! And all of the surrounding nations heard about them and talked about the strange situation of a nation whose God took a personal interest in them, and worked miracles in their behalf. 

We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. (Joshua 2:10, NIV)

Rahab, though, was the only one who realized that their God was "the God of heaven and earth below" (Joshua 2:11). It was she who repented and humbled herself before the Lord. She hid the spies, and then asked them to promise before they went on their way, that she and her family would be safe in the coming siege.

There are other verses in the Old Testament that remind us of the exodus and God's mighty power in redeeming His people. The armies of the Pharaoh were not a problem for YAHWEH.

To apply this to our lives, our praise should also call attention to God's redemption of His people. We must tell others the message of the cross of Jesus Christ. Christ, the sinless Son of God, gave Himself to redeem us from our sins; He was raised from the dead and ascended to heaven. He will return in power and glory to the earth - He is our only hope of eternal life with God.

The psalmist also reminds us that even though it may seem that the nations and individual people are operating outside His control, that's not true. He says in verse seven:

He rules forever by his power,
    his eyes watch the nations—
    let not the rebellious rise up against him. (v. 7)

God is in control and is coming back to "judge the earth." (Psalm 98:9) He works all things out according to His purposes, and His Words accomplish what He desires.

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11)

Let's remember His redeeming love and His sovereignty over all the world. Let's praise our God for His mighty love, and His grace to us!