SING IT LOUD
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, I’m coming to praise and worship you today. You are worthy to receive far more honor than I can ever offer you!
Read PSALM 96
Psalm 96
1 Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
4 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and glory are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come into his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of his[a] holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.
11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
13 Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,
he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his faithfulness.
Footnotes
- Psalm 96:9 Or Lord with the splendor of
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
‘What is your only comfort in life and death?’* Take some moments to frame your response.Acts maps the transition of the community of Jesus from a Jewish heartland out to Gentile populations. This was not a foreign idea to earlier generations. Count the number of times the psalmist refers to ‘all the earth’ or similar (vv. 1, 3, 7, 9, 10, 13). All nations or peoples are called to praise the Lord’s name, and all stand accountable to him (vv. 10, 13). On the other side, God’s people are mandated to ‘proclaim his salvation’ (v. 2) and ‘declare his glory’ (v. 3), to tell the nations ‘The Lord reigns’ (v. 10). We, too, are never content with simply enjoying enrapturing worship as something internal to the Christian community. Our appreciation of the Lord must be declared globally.
Both singing and fear play a part in responding to God. There is true joy in singing to the Lord. The new song suggests a freshness in experience of God’s marvelous deeds, in this case, probably the witness of victory in battle. The singing reverberates throughout creation with heavens, sea, fields, and trees, rejoicing in jubilation. We can always find fresh reasons for rejoicing in the Lord as we explore his greatness. However, fear is also appropriate, even trembling, which gladly acknowledges that God is holy—unique among all other claims to deity, glorious, kingly, and our judge. But even his judgment is a cause for rejoicing. It means that everything will be set right.
Apply
How does this psalm change your attitude to worship?
Closing prayer
Holy Spirit, thank you for interceding for me when I feel inadequate in expressing the words of praise that my heart wants to offer.
*The Heidelberg Catechism, Modern English version, 2011, Lord’s Day 1
Book and Author Intros
Extras
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Discovery is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.