“There will be silence before You, and praise in Zion, O God, and to You the vow will be performed. O You who hear prayer, to You all men come. Iniquities prevail against me; As for our transgressions, You forgive them. How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You to dwell in Your courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple.” (Psalm 65:1–4, NASB)
No more deeply than at Christmas do the praises and petitions of the devout poets of the Old Testament saved for us in the Psalms resonate in the hearts of Christians. Where else could more wonderful and exalted words be found to capture the feelings of gratitude that fill the heart of every child of God when looking back at the many blessings received during the past year?
With the beginning of a new year, one enters entirely unknown territory—where many difficult and dark paths may lie. This thought could fill the heart with fear and dread, if not for the assurance of being under the divine protection and shelter, which the Book of Psalms describes on nearly every page (e.g., Psalm 23 and Psalm 91).
“There will be silence before You, and praise in Zion, O God, and to You the vow will be performed.” The Christian’s heart should often—indeed, daily – take time in God’s presence for introspection in the mirror of His holy nature. But especially at the close of the year this should be sought: first in the quiet of one’s own room, and then, where possible, in the house of the Lord.
Many commentators suggest that verse 1 of Psalm 65 could also be rendered: “To You, surrender is praise.” This translation aligns well with Psalm 62, where David says: “My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation”(verse 1, NASB) and “My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him” (verse 5, NASB). God’s children must remind themselves again and again: True prayer is not about trying to align God’s will with our own, but rather means surrendering quietly and willingly to God’s will.
Many a father’s and mother’s heart grieve over a child who has turned from the faith. Despite years of earnest intercession, all prayer and admonition seem to have had no effect. Perhaps a mother and her children pray for the salvation of the father, or devout children for unsaved parents. Another year has passed, and the heart seems as resistant as ever. Certainly, it is not easy in this situation to praise God in quiet surrender. And yet, even here, faith must prove itself and say: “My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him!” God is still the mighty God who answers prayer, as the psalmist describes Him.
This surrender as expression of praise is what the Lord desires from His children, also in anticipation of the coming year. There are people of the world who enter the New Year with stubborn indifference, determined to accept everything it brings as the decree of an inevitable fate. But this is not the surrender that identifies the conduct of a believing child of God. The one whom the Lord “chooses and brings near… will be satisfied with the goodness” (verse 4) and finds deep comfort in knowing that his life is guided by a wise and loving Father.
Although one must be prepared that the new year may bring many unwanted changes, the believer lives in the confident assurance that the growth and development of their spiritual life need not suffer. For the faithful of the Old Testament, it was a great comfort to have a “home” in the courts of God (verse 4). How much more blessed is the New Testament believer, whose “citizenship is in heaven” (see Philippians 3:20).
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