ENJOYING GOD
Opening Prayer
Think of one of your favorite worship songs. Can you make it your prayer today?
Read Psalm 149
Psalm 149
1 Praise the Lord.
Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise in the assembly of his faithful people.
2 Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
let the people of Zion be glad in their King.
3 Let them praise his name with dancing
and make music to him with timbrel and harp.
4 For the Lord takes delight in his people;
he crowns the humble with victory.
5 Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor
and sing for joy on their beds.
6 May the praise of God be in their mouths
and a double-edged sword in their hands,
7 to inflict vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with fetters,
their nobles with shackles of iron,
9 to carry out the sentence written against them—
this is the glory of all his faithful people.
Praise the Lord.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
When worshipping God through music at church, are you really engaged in worship to him?I was at an international conference called Lausanne a few years ago, and as we gathered in Cape Town, South Africa, I was aware of how different nationalities worshipped. Some people had their hands in their pockets, others raised their hands, some closed their eyes and others danced.
As we explore this psalm we see a range of responses to God in worship. In verses 1–5 we see singing a new song, dancing, playing musical instruments, and lying down! Reflect on this: God takes delight in his people—in you—and made us to enjoy him through worship (2).
The themes in verses 6–9 don’t make it into many worship songs these days! But maybe this is because we are awkward about God being a just God who will exercise judgment on the nations. These verses remind us that we are in a spiritual battle. We look to Christ as the one who judges and brings victory (4). In a world with many challenges we must prayerfully and worshipfully look to Christ as the one who is sovereign over all (2).
Apply
Think of what God has done for you. Create your own psalm of praise today. It could be in poetic form or just a list you can praise God with.
Closing prayer
Use your psalm to worship God.
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