Tag: psalms of praise

Psalm 100 – Knowing God

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment
scenic photo of castle during dawn
Photo by Felix Mittermeier on Pexels.com

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
     Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations. (NIV)

The original use of this psalm was for the ancient Israelites approaching the temple to worship God.  Before worshipers ever came into the presence of the Lord, they were preparing themselves to encounter God through giving him thanks, using this very psalm.

When David and other Hebrew writers penned their poetic songs, they would center what they most wanted to draw attention to in the middle, so that what came before it and after it pointed to that central message. The center of Psalm 100 is verse 3: Know that the LORD is God.

There are three imperatives (commands) that come before this phrase; and, three imperatives that come after it.  All six imperatives are meant to help us know God better. “Shout” for joy to the LORD. “Worship” the LORD with gladness. “Come” before him with joyful songs are the three that lead us up to knowing the LORD.  “Enter” his gates with thanksgiving; “give thanks” to him; and, “praise” his name all come after the central command to “know that the LORD is God.” We belong to God. As God’s people we celebrate this tremendous knowledge with actions meant to impress God’s gracious inclusiveness firmly into us.

There perhaps is no better biblical way to experience God than through these six words: shout; worship; come; enter; give thanks; and praise. Declaring loudly of God’s character and works; kneeling and prostrating before God; approaching God’s throne with boldness; immersing oneself into the presence of God; voicing aloud gratitude to God; and, praising God’s holy name are all heartfelt actions of the faithful. These pious activities are to happen here on earth as they are always done in heaven. It’s what folks with a settled sense of belonging do.

To “know” God is to experience him through close relationship. It means we have a place and a purpose. It is a knowing and belonging which exists deep down in our gut. We get to know God by how he has worked in people’s lives, as well as our own. So, gatherings of believers (whether physical or virtual) are an opportunity to engage in the six imperatives of today’s psalm. Faithful worshipers deeply desire to focus on who God is and what he has done, remembering and rehearsing his qualities and deeds. Through this activity, we help one another know the Lord.  And knowing God is what real life is all about.  He is worthy of all the praise, adoration, and worship we can give to him.  So, let us praise God with heartfelt thanksgiving.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible has to do with knowing God. The Apostle Paul said, “I want to know (to experience with his entire being and not just with his mind) Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” (Philippians 3:10, NIV)

Everything in our lives, whether good or bad, is designed to help us know God better.  Shared experiences with each other encourage us to keep living for Jesus.  So, let us express gratitude today for all the gracious ways God has revealed himself and reached out to save such ones as us.

Almighty God, who works on my behalf, give me grace to put away the rootless existence of one who has no place; and, help me to experience and know your radical acceptance and inclusion into the dance of the Trinity – Father, Son, and Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Click Psalm 100 (Enter In) for a time of praise and thanksgiving to God.

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            Show me a spiritual sourpuss, and I’ll show you a person who lives without daily gratitude toward God and others.  But show me a gracious person who liberally gives thanks, and I will show you a person profoundly in touch with God’s steadfast love.
 
            The psalmist chose to give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!  I wonder how much different each day would be if we began it with the psalmist’s great call to worship:  “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” 
 
            There is a misguided notion that only certain people have the attitude of gratitude; some folks are just naturally ornery, and some are just born happy.  But the truth is that gratitude and giving thanks is a practice that must be carefully cultivated.  As it grows and develops, gratitude bears the fruit of joy.  Yes, thankfulness is a daily decision of faith that we need to make in order to have the kind of attitude that pleases God and blesses others.
            Loving God, this is the day you have made; I rejoice in it, and am glad that your steadfast love covers all things.  Help me to connect every good thing with your gracious hand upon me so that I will not look and act like I was baptized in pickle juice.  To the glory of Jesus Christ, I pray.  Amen.

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            It is no wonder that so many people struggle with self-image today.  Beautiful people reign across the television channels and movie theatres; the rich and powerful are highlighted in the media; and, people with perfect teeth and immaculate attire are splashed in front of us in the daily barrage of advertisements.  Meanwhile, the rest of us 99% of the population quickly notice that we do not measure up to such a standard.  It only takes a few minutes of people watching at the local grocery store or mall to realize that the vast majority of persons have less than perfect bodies and do not have much of a budget to live like the other less than 1% of the famous.
 
            Into this dark abyss of feeling depressed about one’s image enters the biblical truth that each and every one of us, no matter our station in life, is “fearfully and wonderfully made.”  The Creator God took great care to make us and form us just the way he wants us.  The psalmist, David, praised God for the way we were created.  The real standard from which we ought to judge ourselves is this:  God knows us intimately, inside and out, and he does not condemn us or shame us but loves us wholly.  Why? Because he is the one who made us.
 
            So, rather than wasting our emotional energy and our mental faculties on wishing we looked different or were more like so-and-so who seems to always have it all together, try practicing what David did:  praising God.  Whenever we think we do not measure up to the standard by which we compare ourselves, the only real measurement is grace.  No matter who we are, the entire race of humanity has been created in the image of God, and, on that basis alone, we have inherent value, worth, and majesty.  Let us, then, treat ourselves and others with the yardstick of grace.
            O God, thank you that I am wonderfully made in your likeness.  I praise you that I am fully accepted, even when I do not accept myself.  In Jesus Christ you have demonstrated the height of your love and mercy.  May this grace be with me every day so that I will conduct myself in a manner worthy of being part of the human family.  Amen.

Psalm 100

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
            Serve the LORD with gladness!
            Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the LORD, he is God!
            It is he who made us, and we are his,
            we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
            and his courts with praise!
            Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the LORD is good;
            his steadfast love endures forever,
            and his faithfulness to all generations.
 
            The manner in which we approach God is significant.  No matter the circumstances, entering the presence of God by means of thanksgiving and praise helps us to rightly acknowledge that God is good.  And God will continue to be good because love is intrinsic to his character. 
 
            Perhaps there are days or extended periods of time in which we do not feel like God is good.  Chronic people problems; continued bouts of physical or emotional pain; out of control situations with no resolution in sight; these and many more realities may cause us to question God’s goodness, much less give us reason to praise his Name.
 
            But here is where this psalm needs to be as familiar and common to us as putting on our shoes in the morning.  Saying the psalm aloud on a daily basis, despite how we feel, is the kind of spiritual medicine we need to alter our sour dispositions and change the face of our bitter attitudes.  We could even declare the psalm multiple times in the day – not in a legalistic or magical sense as if it were some rabbit’s foot to ward off evil – but in the manner of allowing biblical truth and right theology to slowly and deliberately sink down deep in our souls.
            Lord God Almighty, I praise your glorious Name!  You are always good and your love endures forever!  May my character and my life reflect your grace operating within me.  Help me to have an attitude of thanksgiving in all circumstances.  To the glory of Jesus I pray.  Amen.