Main Text
Psalms 66:1-12
Watchword
Say to God, “How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You”.
Psalms 66:3 NKJV
This text contrasts God’s power with his enemies’ weakness. The word submit in this context means cringe (to move or draw back by showing submission due to fear, disgust or embarrassment), so God’s enemies will always cringe before Him. (Psalms 18:44). A better way to understand what this means is that the enemy will give an hollow (pointless) submission and subjection to God. It is a submission that does not have the saving power in their life.
The submission of a true child of God is that of love, or is a willing submission; the submission of an hypocrite is that of fear, where he feigns obedience because he cannot help it, or because he simply dreads the wrath of God. The enemies of God will acknowledge Him as Lord but they will do it in a cringing way. No one in hell is confused as to who God is or as to whether or not Jesus Christ is Lord. They know that Jesus Christ is Lord but it is hollow to them. We know that Lord will bring about all of the world worshipping Him (Romans 15:8–12)
The submission of the heart, the will, and the affections, is to be secured by love, not by power. The difference between the submission of the true people of God and that of all others is that the former submission is genuine because they are subdued by love, while the latter is forced and subdued by power. The inhabitants of heaven will be submissive to God because they love Him; the dwellers in hell will be restrained by power, because they cannot deliver themselves (Psalms 81:15).
Confession
Thank You, dear Lord, for the hope I have in Your abiding love, which surrounds and give me the wisdom to submit to you.
Prayer
Oh Lord, teach me how to adore and reverence you in true holiness and submission. Amen.
Additional Reading
Psalms 47:23
Psalms 22:28-29.