Psalm 66:1-9
Your Story
Talk to your family about a few times when God has answered your prayers. What were you praying for and how did God answer you?
My Story and the Bible Story
God has answered many of my prayers over the years. Some of God’s answers have been yes, some no, and some that it wasn’t the time and I needed to wait. But I know that God always hears my prayers. When I was in high school, I prayed that God would show me which college I should go to. I worried that I would choose the wrong one and somehow wouldn’t still be in God’s plan. But I was worried for no reason, because God answers our prayers. When I walked on Mercer’s campus, I knew that it was home. It was the right place for me. Sometimes, our answers aren’t as clear. Sometimes we aren’t sure what God wants us to do, but the psalm reminds us that God helps us. Our lives are in God’s hands and He will never leave us. God answers our prayers. The Israelites knew that God answered prayers. In Psalm 66, we are reminded of some of the things God had done for the people.
Read Psalm 66:1-9.
God not only answers prayers but also holds our very lives in God’s hands. God keeps our feet from stumbling, knows what we need, and helps us. There’s no person on Earth who is any match for God. God is more powerful than anything and anyone else, and God cares about us! I am clumsy, and there are plenty of times when I trip and fall, but the psalmist means that God helps us know which way to go. God helps us avoid hurtful things if we listen. God shows us the way, just as God made a way for the Hebrew people through the Red Sea. There are times when it seems as if there’s no way things will get better. The Hebrew people struggled in Egypt, and they cried out to God. It seemed as if they would always be stuck in Egypt, working for a pharaoh who continued to make them work harder. It seemed as if it would always be that way. But God made a way. God sent Moses to set them free. When it seemed as if all hope was lost, when they were stuck between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea, God made a way for the people then too, creating a dry path for them to walk across. God knows what we need and keeps us from stumbling. We can trust that God is there for us and will help us. Sing praises to God, because God is our Creator and our Redeemer who listens to our cries for help. Remember that God will answer our prayers. God is always by our side!
Discussion and Prayer
1. Have each person in your family share how God has answered their prayers.
2. Ask everyone to talk about something for which they are praying.
3. Brainstorm ways to track when God answers prayers. You may create a prayer board for your family, moving each prayer to an “answered” column, or have a “prayer” jar and an “answered prayers” jar. Choose a way that helps your family see how often God answers their prayers.
4. Pray, giving thanks that God always answers us. Offer praise for all the things that God has done.
Rev. Jessica Asbell is the Minister to Children and Families at First Baptist Roswell, where she has been serving since 2012. She has written the children’s curriculum for Smyth & Helwys’s Annual Bible Study for the books of Daniel; Ezekiel; Luke; Jonah; 1 Corinthians; 1, 2, 3 John and Jude; Colossians; The Story of Israel’s Ancestors: Living toward a Promise; and Where Faith & Family Meet: A Book of Weekly Devotions. She has also written for CBF’s Spark and Form and for Affect in CBF’s fellowship! magazine. Married to Jonathan Oravec, Jessica reads every chance she gets.
