From Grief to Praise

In this episode of Teleios Talk, we are looking at Psalm 65 through the lens of grief, loss, and worship. We begin with the heartbreaking story of King David mourning the death of his son Absalom, crying out in anguish, “My son, my son! If only I had died instead of you!” Yet remarkably, from this season of sorrow came a psalm not of lament, but of praise.

How do we praise God in the midst of grief? Psalm 65 offers a powerful answer. Together, we explore three movements in David’s prayer: praise for God’s forgiveness, praise for His power and provision, and praise for His abundant blessing. Along the way, we consider what it means to grieve honestly, to recognize God’s goodness, and to live out praise in action.

From David’s broken heart to Horatio Spafford’s hymn “It Is Well with My Soul,” this episode reminds us that sorrow and faith can meet, and that the goodness of God is deeper than our deepest grief.

Transcript

“From Grief to Praise”

Psalm 65

I. Introduction

There was once a father who adored his son. But the son grew proud, restless, and rebellious. Slowly, he began to undermine his father’s authority, speaking against him, rallying people to his side. Soon, the son gathered an army of followers, and the father was forced into hiding, hunted like a criminal by his own child.

When the day of battle came, the father pleaded with his generals: ‘Deal gently with him. Do not harm my boy.’ But war is cruel. The son was trapped in the chaos of battle, and he was struck down.

When the news reached the father, he broke into sobs, and cried out for all to hear: ‘My son! My son! If only I had died instead of you!’

This was David, the man after God’s own heart, mourning the death of his son Absalom (2 Samuel 18:33). What’s remarkable is what follows. In the midst of that grief, David wrote Psalm 65, a Psalm not of sorrow, but of praise. 

The question addressed in this Psalm is: How do we praise God even in the midst of grief? Sometimes our lives feel like David’s story; loss, sorrow, and pain but God’s mercy calls us to lift our eyes and praise Him.”

II. Praise for Forgiveness

Let’s look at Verses 1–4: 

1 There will be silence before You, and praise in Zion, O God,And to You the vow will be performed.In Hebrew this verse starts out by saying, 

“Silence is praise to You;” Many other translations begin by saying,“ Praise awaits You, Oh God.” Another way to read this is that we must praise God with awe. This verse could begin this way: “Worship the Lord with awe, and rejoice with quaking.”

David wrote this Psalm as part of the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. This is one of three pilgrimage festivals celebrated during what is today called Sukkot. Imagine this gathering of all your friends and relatives. Imagine the clamor, the noise, the joyous celebration. And David says, “Silence is praise.”

Very quickly, this Psalm focuses us on a time of remembering how God saved His people. During this festival every man was expected to present himself to God in the Temple. This was a time when sacrifices were offered, gifts were given to God, the provision of God was acknowledged, and they would pray and read the scriptures.

Then God is identified from among all the other gods. “Oh God of Zion” He is the God of Zion, He is the Holy One, God of god's, Lord of lords. This is a claim to exclusivity. A vow is then noted.“ To You the vow will be performed.” What vow is David referring to? During the Feast of Tabernacles the people praised God for fulfilling His vow to answer their prayers And they responded through an offer of atonement.

We have so much to be thankful for, interestingly this verse can be translated to say, “our praise is due”. Praise is expected like rent, hydro bills, or a loan payment. But our response is to be one of desire, longing, and intent.

2 O You who hear prayer, To You all men come.

 Listen to the heart of David here, he describes God as one who hears us. He hears our complaints, our anger, our disagreement, our lies. God hears our heartbreak. And David says God welcomes us to Himself. This isn't just a promise to Israel, Notice the phrase, “To You all men come”. This is a foreshadowing which looks to the praise outlined in the rest of this Psalm, and God's promise of the Messiah.

When we praise God, we come to Him. During times of grief we may withdraw due to feelings of isolation, self-protection, or a desire to avoid further hurt, but David encourages us to seek support from God who provides comfort and understanding.

3 Iniquities prevail against me; As for our transgressions, You forgive them.

Some versions say, “When iniquities prevail”. In simple English, this says “when I sin”. David shows that he recognizes his own sins and his inability to hold them off. Thinking of Absolom may have caused David to reflect on his own sins and how they affected the fractured relationship. We often regret the decisions we have made in regards to our children times when our sins caused them painand I see that in this verse.

Right away I think of the Lord's Prayer, "Forgive us our trespasses”. A price must be paid for our sin. In every case that price is a sacrifice; to the Israelites during the festival of tabernacles, this was a blood sacrifice, to Christians today, we look to the sacrifice on the cross.

4 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.

While reading this Psalm, I thought that the first part of this verse ties back to verse 2 quite well. The theme of nearness to God is reinforced. We choose to draw near to God, and He chooses us, drawing us near to Him. There is a mutual act being performed. Similar language is used in the New Testament when the writers speak of election. 

Here David says that God chooses some to dwell in the courts of God. This is pre-temple language since Solomon would not build the Temple until after David's death. 

So what is he referring to?

The early hearers of this Psalm would have understood David to be addressing the Jewish nation. A promise of God’s covenant with them. But when we approach this passage in the light of Messianic fulfilment we see that this anticipates the new covenant where all who believe are chosen.

In the second part of verse 4, David says something interesting, “We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,  Your holy temple!”  What does it mean to be satisfied? Does it mean to be happy? "Going to church makes me happy!” Or, "Going to church makes me satisfied!”

If you rate a restaurant, and you say you were satisfied, the owners would not think you left a very good review. So, being satisfied means something deeper. David is saying: I have enough, I am satiated, or even I am weary. 

That's weird right? When Denise and I were in Ireland we became weary of castles and cathedrals. Not because they were boring and not because they weren't beautiful, but they were everywhere, inescapable, and any time we desired to see a castle…. “Look, there is one!” He is satisfied with the goodness of God's house, His tabernacle. It is the best kind of goodness, the best beauty, welfare in the widest sense, and even complete gladness. 

How much better could it be? It is Holy, it is sacred, it is *AWESOME* 

Ceremonial perfection and moral perfection radiating from the presence of God so that it is overwhelming. Sound familiar? We are getting a glimpse of heaven here. Just a peak through the keyhole.

David begins Psalm 65 with thanksgiving and worship, and not complaints about grief. He reinforces that God is worthy of praise 

Why? for God’s forgiveness. Even when life is difficult, God answers prayer and removes guilt. God’s forgiveness reminds us that we are held in His care.

II. Praise for Power and Provision

In Verses 5–8: David moves from personal grief to recognition of God’s broader goodness, even in the midst of loss. We see a common theme in Davidic poetry: God is mighty, yet compassionate: He controls nature, He provides harvests, and He blesses the earth.

5 By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation,  the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea,

David's acknowledgement of God’s power is coupled with a confession to God’s provision. Imagine David trying to encourage the Jewish people. It is a time of celebration, and he doesn’t feel much like celebrating. But David says here that God “answers with righteousness”.

We see that David has accepted that God will be worshipped because “His way is blameless”, a statement we read in Psalm 18:30. And here David re-engages our hope: God is our salvation God is “the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea,”

He is the hope of all that we see and all that we don’t, He is the hope of all that we know and all that we don’t, He is the hope of all that we trust and all that we don't. There is mystery in the hope of God and the psalm continues in verse 6, saying:

6 Who establishes the mountains by His strength, Being girded with might;

Have you been to Banff and seen Mt. Rundle or Mt. Head? Mt. Rundle is called a ‘Thrust Fault’ mountain, It looks like it was just torn right out of the ground and placed on top of the surrounding land. Mt. Head shows distinctive folding in the rock like someone would fold dough. What kind of power could do that?

There is awe in the voice of David here. He is marveling at God’s absolute, unchangeable power and authority over creation. The mountains testify the power of God. We can imagine a warrior getting ready for battle, there is almost a violence, or terror in this description. What can stop God, what can cause Him to change? Does He not deserve our Praise?

Menno Simons wrote, “The outward act of worship must arise from the inward fear of God.” Our praise of God must be understood as reverent awe and deep respect, something that leads to wisdom and a desire for spiritual growth. This is the fear of God.

Then David writes,

7 who stills the roaring of the seas,  the roaring of their waves,  the tumult of the peoples,  

The picture of strength and fear is now molded into something new, From a warrior, God becomes a peacemaker. The picture of chaos now becomes stillness, order, and reconciliation.

The American theologian Al Mohler, once said, “God's sovereignty extends not only over His people, but over storms and kings alike.”

The ancient people during David's time looked at the ocean as being a symbol of danger and the unknown. They saw it as a concept of opposition to God.

For God to bring stillness, to bring order, is a representation of strength which is far greater than that of destruction.

When David includes the “tumult of the peoples”, I can’t help but think of those who would oppose God. We see the theme of salvation again. God stills opposition, He shows His strength. He is in control. Such a realization gives comfort to those who grieve.

8 They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs; You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.

I imagine that the writer of the book of Romans was familiar with this psalm when he wrote, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)

There is no civilization, no person, no religious thought in the whole world that does not look at creation and not experience wonder. From the nature around us to the smallest particle and largest galaxy, God gives us a sign; a sign of worry to some and hope to others.

The imagery David gives of the sunrise and sunset shouting for joy is not lost on those of us here on the prairies. The sunrise slowly painting the sky with color, and awakening, literally a dawning, an understanding in every person. Then the sunset, which gives us hope for tomorrow, a completion of what was, a promise of what will be. God provides hope.

III. Praise for Abundant Blessing

As we look at Verses 9–13: We see how David describes God’s blessings flowing to all creation: a celebration of God's abundant provision and a flourishing world.

Once we have weathered the storm, we can begin to see God's blessing once again. God still provides and sustains. Psalm 65 ends on a celebratory note,all creation sings His praise, David is showing that worship is bigger than our personal sorrow.

The next three verses stand as a prayer. A time of praise to God. I imagine this as an act of corporate worship, David calling us to praise God together. Let us read this together:

9 You visit the earth and cause it to overflow; You greatly enrich it; The stream of God is full of water; You prepare their grain, for thus You prepare the earth. 10 You water its furrows abundantly, You settle its ridges, You soften it with showers, You bless its growth. 11 You have crowned the year with Your bounty, And Your paths drip with fatness.

God is active, He is not faraway. David, known as a man after God’s own heart, reminds us that God isn’t some distant deity, He is concerned with His creation, He does not wave His hands from afar but works it like a farmer works the land.

Verse 9 reminds us that God visits us. We think back to Psalm 139:7, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?” Or Psalm 8:4 “What is man that You think of him, And a son of man that You are concerned about him?” What is our importance in the eyes of God that He would visit us, he would sustain us, and He would bless us with His bounty?

 Let’s look at a key line in this passage: “You have crowned the year with Your bounty, And Your paths drip with fatness. ”Even after the bitterest loss, David is focused on God’s goodness .A goodness which is both tangible and reliable. The whole passage is retrospective; it is a description of the blessing before their eyes, which God has put upon the year now drawing to a close. 

Isaiah seems to rephrase this passage in Isaiah 55:10-11, when he records God as saying, “10 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; 11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

David closes with a short devotional,

12 The pastures of the wilderness drip, And the hills encircle themselves with rejoicing. 13 The meadows are clothed with flocks And the valleys are covered with grain; They shout for joy, yes, they sing.

Two pictures are made here. First, the pastures, the wilderness, the uncultivated land is so full of God’s presence that it literally is dripping. If we say a sponge is dripping, it means it is saturated beyond what it can hold and we are tempted to wring it out. We want everything that it holds.

Second, the meadows and valleys, the farmland, the cultivated land, shows that it has reproduced according to it’s kind. It is productive and prosperous. Both are joyful and shout for joy, they sing God’s praise.

The words of Jesus in the sermon of the mount echo loudly, “26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?”

David’s grief over Absalom parallels human sorrow we all face. Yet his response in Psalm 65 shows that worship and gratitude can coexist with grief.

The American lawyer Horatio Spafford lost all his property and investments during the great Chicago fire, then he lost four daughters in a shipwreck. While travelling back to the States, following these tragedies, the ship he was on passed over where they drowned. In response he wrote the the hymn ‘It is well with my soul.’”

“David cried, ‘O my son, my son!’ Spafford cried, ‘It is well.’ In both cases, sorrow met faith. 

How do we praise God even in the midst of grief?

1. Grieve Honestly

Like David, allow yourself to feel pain. Tears, sorrow, and lament are Biblical.I would encourage each of you to try journaling, prayer, or verbal expression to God.

2. Recognize God’s Goodness

Actively name what God has done in your life, even during hardship. Some examples are daily gratitude, counting blessings, and reflecting on answered prayer.

3. Praise in Action

Praise is not only feeling—it’s living out thanksgiving in your relationships, generosity, and service. God’s provision is both personal and universal—blessing family, church, community, and creation.

IV. Benediction

Following the death of his son, David is told by Joab in 2 Samuel 19:7, “So go out at once and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the Lord, if you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night, and this will be worse for you than any disaster that has come upon you from your youth until now.”

Joab rebuked David for dividing his loyalties in the face of his grief. As a result, David met his troops at the city gate and comforted his armies. 

The rebuke is harsh but is good advice for all of us. There should always be a word of praise to God on our lips. The same man who cried out, ‘O my son, my son!’ also cried out, ‘You crown the year with Your bounty, Your paths overflow with abundance.’ In other words: the tears were real, the grief was deep, but the goodness of God was deeper still.