1<To the chief music-maker. A Song. A Psalm.> Send up a glad cry to God, all the earth: 2Make a song in honour of his name: give praise and glory to him. 3Say to God, How greatly to be feared are your works! because of your great power your haters are forced to put themselves under your feet. 4Let all the earth give you worship, and make songs to you; let them make songs to your name. (Selah.) 5Come and see the works of God: he is to be feared in all he does to the children of men. 6The sea was turned into dry land: they went through the river on foot: there did we have joy in him. 7He is ruling in power for ever; his eyes are watching the nations: may his haters have no strength against him. (Selah.) 8Give blessings to our God, O you peoples, let the voice of his praise be loud; 9Because he gives us life, and has not let our feet be moved. 10For you, O God, have put us to the test: testing us by fire like silver. 11You let us be put in prison; chains were put on our legs. 12You let men go driving over our heads; we went through fire and through water; but you took us out into a wide place. 13I will come into your house with burned offerings, I will make payment of my debt to you, 14Keeping the word which came from my lips, and which my mouth said, when I was in trouble. 15I will give you burned offerings of fat beasts, and the smoke of sheep; I will make offerings of oxen and goats. (Selah.) 16Come, give ear to me, all you God-fearing men, so that I may make clear to you what he has done for my soul. 17My voice went up to him, and I was lifted up from the underworld. 18I said in my heart, The Lord will not give ear to me: 19But truly God's ear has been open; he has give attention to the voice of my prayer. 20Praise be to God who has not taken away his good faith and his mercy from me.
Matthew Henry's Commentary
Praise for God's sovereign power in the creation. (1-7) For his favour to his church. (8-12) And the psalmist's praise for his experience of God's goodness. (13-20) 1-7 The holy church throughout all the world lifts up her voice, to laud that Name which is above every name, to make the praise of Jesus glorious, both by word and deed; that others may be led to glorify him also. But nothing can bring men to do this aright, unless his effectual grace create their hearts anew unto holiness; and in the redemption by the death of Christ, and the glorious deliverances it effects, are more wondrous works than Israel's deliverance from Egyptian bondage. 8-12 The Lord not only preserves our temporal life, but maintains the spiritual life which he has given to believers. By afflictions we are proved, as silver in the fire. The troubles of the church will certainly end well. Through various conflicts and troubles, the slave of Satan escapes from his yoke, and obtains joy and peace in believing: through much tribulation the believer must enter into the kingdom of God. 13-20 We should declare unto those that fear God, what he has done for our souls, and how he has heard and answered our prayers, inviting them to join us in prayer and praise; this will turn to our mutual comfort, and to the glory of God. We cannot share these spiritual privileges, if we retain the love of sin in our hearts, though we refrain from the gross practice, Sin, regarded in the heart, will spoil the comfort and success of prayer; for the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination of the Lord. But if the feeling of sin in the heart causes desires to be rid of it; if it be the presence of one urging a demand we know we must not, cannot comply with, this is an argument of sincerity. And when we pray in simplicity and godly sincerity, our prayers will be answered. This will excite gratitude to Him who hath not turned away our prayer nor his mercy from us. It was not prayer that fetched the deliverance, but his mercy that sent it. That is the foundation of our hopes, the fountain of our comforts; and ought to be the matter of our praises.