Praying Psalm 66 when life gets fiery

I’d like to share a prayer of praise formed from Psalm 66. 
It seems pertinent in helping assuage our fear over the global implications during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Praise our God,
people of the world!

Let the sound of our praise be heard by everyone.
He has preserved our lives
and kept us from going under forever.
Yes, He is testing us–
God is refining us like silver in the fire,
drawing our insecurities, fears, and faithlessness to the surface,
not to kill us or harm us,
but to perfect us–
to make us completely pure.

He has brought us into the prisons of this world,
giving us burdens to bear and offenses to carry.
Why?
Why would God do this, if He loves us?

Here’s why:
He leads us through fire and water,
through the deserts and wilderness of our spiritual journeys
to lead us into a place of abundance.
He brings us into the open spaces of freedom.
Without the fire, we would never recognize the gift of choice, love, and abundance.

Lord, I will come to your feet and worship You!
I will fulfill the vows I’ve made to love and trust You.
I will sacrifice what I deem valuable because You are more valuable,
infinitely pure and holy and just!

Come and listen, everyone who fears the Lord,
let me tell you what God has done for me:
In my pain, I cried out to God,
and He heard me.
If I had hidden sin in my heart, He would not have listened,
but because I continue to pray and confess,
God hears my requests, my cries, and my groans.

Praise the Lord because He never rejects me
or withholds his love from me!

In Jesus’ holy name,
Amen.

Here’s another paraphrase of Psalm 66 from 4 years ago. God’s Word never gets old!