WORSHIP AND WITNESS
Opening Prayer
I praise You, Lord of glory. There is no one like You in heaven or on earth.
Read Psalm 96
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
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
a. Psalm 96:9 Or Lord with the splendor of
Reflect
Why is God worthy of praise? Bring as many reasons as possible to mind.Have you ever lost your voice? A friend of mine once lost hers for a number of weeks and I remember her telling me how surprised her GP was when she explained that what she missed most of all was singing in church. We are made to worship, and we are made to be part of worshipping communities.
So why do we worship? The greatness of God moves us to worship. Sometimes this can be irresistible: we just can’t help but brim over with wonder. In other, more painful seasons of life, a psalm such as this reminds us of why God is still worthy of worship, despite our circumstances. It helps us understand that God is worthy of worship for so many reasons: for His revelation of salvation; for His marvelous deeds; as Creator; as holy; as righteous judge.
The psalmist also uses joyful examples of personification to show that even the natural world cannot help but respond with worship (11–13). Our worship joins in with that of creation, but also draws others to worship with us. The verbs ‘proclaim’ (2), ‘declare’ (3) and ‘say’ (10) are all used to reinforce worship as witness: ‘all nations’ are made to worship God in His glory.
Apply
This psalm makes a clear connection between our worship and our witness. How can you invite others to worship with you? Whom can you invite today?
Closing prayer
I sing to You a new song of praise today, my Lord, of all that You have done for me (1).
Book and Author Intros
Extras
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