Oh come, let us sing
to the LORD;
let us make a joyful
noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his
presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful
noise to him with songs of praise!
Take time right now to worship God! Take time to reflect upon Jehovah.
Think about His character; remind yourself of who God is. As you are refreshed
and sobered by these thoughts, meditate on the fact that He is your firm
foundation and Savior. The most holy God has revealed Himself to you, changed
your heart, and brought you from darkness to light. Taking time to think on
these things will produce gratefulness in us. Take time to thank God
specifically for His many attributes, especially His astounding grace. Having then
prayed, our joy should be full and we should be heartily praising God by now!
Did you do it? Did
you take time to go through these steps?
The writer goes on to
remind us that God is the Creator.
Psalm 95:3-5
For the LORD is a
great God,
and a great King
above all gods.
In his hand are the
depths of the earth;
the heights of the
mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for
he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
We need to remember
that God has created all, that there is nothing that is not His, and that He is
sovereignly in control of all. God’s creation culminated with the creation of
man.
Psalm 95:6-7
Oh come, let us
worship and bow down;
let us kneel before
the LORD, our Maker!
For he is our God,
and we are the people
of his pasture,
and the sheep of his
hand.
In worship, we recognize who God is and we remember who
we are. These
truths should produce worship. The normal reaction should be to bow down in
respect and awe over our privilege. The God of the Bible is OUR God! Does it
make a difference in your life? We are His sheep, He has promised to provide our
needs, and He cares for us personally, for He holds us in His hand!
John 10:14-15
I
am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father
knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
We are privileged to
have an intimate relationship with Christ, and we are His beloved.. The one who
did not spare His Son to purchase us - will He not have special care for those who
cost Him so much?
Does our reaction to
these truths concern God?
Psalm 95:7-9
Today, if you hear
his voice,
do not harden your
hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at
Massah in the wilderness,
when your fathers put
me to the test
and put me to the
proof, though they had seen my work.
The Israelites
questioned the love of God when they were in the desert without water, and their
complaining angered God. In fact, another passage of the Bible explains that
their complaint, in actuality, was questioning the presence of God in their
midst.
Complaining is the result of a hardened heart: a heart that has grown cold to the
truths that this psalm has presented to us. God punished the children of Israel
because they saw the works of God and doubted Him.
Has your heart grown
cold or bitter? Are you testing God with your behavior? When this psalm was
written, God’s intention was that we would not repeat the same sin. Maybe you
have grown accustomed to complaining, assuming that it was really not a big
deal. The reality is that God views complaining as sin. Complaining questions
not only God’s sovereignty but also His love for us.
I know I have been
guilty of this from time to time, but have found that thoughtful meditation on
who God is, His salvation, and His continual care for me are the best deterrents
to my disgruntled attitude, turning it into a properly thankful one.
Let us go out today with
grateful praise on our lips!
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