Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know that the LORD, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations. Psalm 100: 1-5, NKJV.
Heavenly Father, we are here in Your holy presence, asking You to help us gain the victory over sadness, and despair, and help us to serve You with gladness. Please fill our hearts with Your joy as we worship You in the beauty of holiness. This we pray, in the holy name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Why do you and I go to church? What does worshipping the Lord represent for us? What is the right way to worship God? Is there a wrong way to worship Him? These are some of the thoughts that entered my mind when I meditated upon this psalm. Permit me a few more questions and answers as we continue in the study of God’s Word.
When the psalmist calls upon the lands to make a joyful shout to the LORD, is he speaking figuratively, or does inanimate nature also “shout to the LORD?” Or, is he inviting the inhabitants of these lands to make a joyful shout to the LORD? If I were to answer my own questions I would say – both. The following incident in the life of Christ leads me to this conclusion:
As Jesus was making His triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, the people became so overjoyed that they began hailing Him and praising Him, much to the chagrin of the religious leaders. Observe the scene, and notice His response:
“Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying: ‘ “‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, ‘ “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” ‘ But He answered and said to them, ‘ “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out” ‘ (Luke 19: 37-40). Emphasis supplied.
If we, the creatures of His hand, for whom He left heaven and came to die, are not willing to “shout to the LORD,” then nature will! But what a privilege and a honor it is for us to worship God and sing His praises. The psalmist also offers some suggestions of how we should do this: “Serve the LORD with gladness; come before His presence with singing.” “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.”
As we pay heed to the invitation of the psalmist, it becomes evident that the act of worship is something vibrant and joyous. Service, gladness, shout, sing, give thanks, praise, bless! His worship is dynamic! All of this is done “decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14: 40), because our worship is an offering of love to the Sovereign God and Creator!
Then he gives the reason for our worship and praise: “Know that the LORD, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” “For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.”
He is so worthy of our praise! He created us; we belong to Him! He is a good God – all the time! Even when we do not appreciate it. Even when we take His goodness for granted. Even when we do not deserve it – God is good! How many of us have been the recipients of His endless mercy and unconditional love! And there has never been, or ever will be, a time when we will not be able to rely on His truthfulness!
As we enter into His rest, on this His holy Sabbath day – let us enter into His presence with the joyfulness of singing, and into His courts with thanksgiving – for He is worthy of our praise!