Psalm 66 Devotional

Through Fire and Water

“You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but You brought us into abundance.”Psalm 66:12 (BSB)

Psalm 66 calls the whole earth to shout to God and to come and see what he has done (66:1-5). The great example is the sea he turned into dry land, so that his people walked through on foot (66:6). Then the psalm says something harder. God has tested his people and refined them like silver. He led them into the net, laid burdens on their backs, and let others ride over their heads. They passed through fire and flood, and he brought them out into abundance (66:10-12).

The psalm does not call these trials accidents. They were God's refining work. Peter says the same of believers' trials: they test faith the way fire tests gold, and show it to be real (1 Peter 1:6-7). Then one worshiper steps forward to keep his vows and testify (66:13-16). He is honest that cherished sin would have closed God's ears, but God has heard his prayer (66:18-19). Hardship is not proof that God has abandoned you. It may be his road toward a wider place.

To think about: What hardship in your life might God be using to refine you, and how could you bring it to him in prayer today?