Psalm 96 - 5.7.25
Scripture; Psalm 96
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.
Observation
Psalm 96 is split into four sections, each highlighting a different command: sing, praise, worship, and rejoice.
Application
In the first section, the psalmist says “sing to the Lord all the earth.” At that time in history, only the Jews followed the one true God, but this psalm looks forward to a time when the whole world will know him. It tells us to sing a new song, a song of faith in the things coming and to declare his glory to all we come in contact with.
In verses 4-6, we are directed to praise him. I looked up the difference between praise and worship. “Praise is often about what God does, while worship is about who God is.” We are to praise him for his great works, for his creation, for his provision, for his healing – for all the things he has done for us. He deserves our praise.
Verses 7-10 tell us to ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name. “When praising the Lord, the Jews lifted their hands and voices and looked up, but in their worship, they reverently bowed down.” (Warren Wiersbe Bible Study) We serve a powerful, mighty, all-knowing, loving father. He is worthy of our worship.
And lastly, rejoice! The king of the universe reigns. He is a God who keeps his promises, from now until he comes again!
Prayer
Today I will take time to sing of your great love for me. I will praise you for what you have done, for all the times you have answered my prayers. I will worship you because you are holy and righteous and good. And I will rejoice because you hold the world in your hand and you are in control.
Goodness of God
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f4MUUMWMV4
- Debbie Dunn
Psalm 95 - 5.6.25
SCRIPTURE: PSALM 95:1-7
1 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
3 For the Lord is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
7 for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.
OBSERVATION
I love this Psalm! Although the author of this Psalm is not noted, other scriptures and scholars have attributed this writing to David.
We are called to sing for joy because He’s the Rock of our salvation. Praise God He’s our rock – never changing, solid and stable, consistently providing protection and our salvation.
We are encouraged to be thankful and extol him with music and song. Praise God for worship music! Thank Him for the chance to even be able to praise him with music and song. There are some people in the world who can’t even do these things without persecution. We are blessed and that is one more thing we can praise God for in our lives.
Verses 3 – 5 gives us all the reasons why we are to sing, praise and extol God. It’s because of His power over everything. He binds everything on earth together. This reflects his sovereignty over creation. The visual of his hands that can reach deep into the core of the earth then to the mountaintops, to the ocean and to the desert shows He’s all powerful. God is above all gods because He is the one who created the earth, the mountains, the sea, and even the dry land. He is above all things on earth. It is all His and worthy to be praised!
“You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.” Nehemiah 9:6
Once we visualize and contemplate the meaning of verses 3 – 5, there is nothing else we can do but to bow down in worship as verse 6 invites us to do. When we bow down and kneel, we acknowledge his status as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Bowing down is a sign of submission and humility. We are giving him the honor and position that He is our God and we are his people. Verse 7 reflects God as our shepherd and we are the sheep in his care. He is King and holds the universe in his hands and yet we are called his flock and we are under his care. He loves us!
APPLICATION
When I started to read this section of scripture, I was reminded of Pastor Levi’s series on “I am.” If you’ve not yet had a chance to hear the series, I highly recommend it. Even if you heard it before, listen to it again. It’s amazing!
God gives us so many ways in which we can worship him in our daily life. Worshiping and honoring God can be something we can do with just the simple things in life. Waking up in the morning is a blessing. Having family, friends, and our wonderful church family is a great blessing we can thank God for each and every day. When we witness a glorious sunrise or sunset, we can thank God for what he created and provides for us. When we see the countryside, mountains, the sea, we can give God the glory. When we see all the stars at night, the glow of the moon, we can thank God because He not only created them but He is above them all.
“To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it.” Deuteronomy 10:14
PRAYER
Lord, thank you for being my rock and my salvation. You are worthy to be praised every second of every day. Everything in my life is because of your blessings and provisions. You continue to amaze me with your faithfulness and your love when I don’t deserve anything. Lord, thank you for the blessings of music that we can worship you with, giving you the praise you deserve. You are my maker, my shepherd, my lord, my savior, and I bow down to you. In Jesus name. Amen and Amen.
- Mary Oberg
Acts 23 - 5.5.25
Scripture
Acts 23:11 NIV
“The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.””
Observation
Paul was before the Pharisees and Sanhedrin (again!), having to answer for his ministry in Jesus Christ. There was also a plot to kill him; however, before he learned of that plot, the Lord encouraged Paul to be courageous. He told him that he was still going to testify about Him in Rome. He didn’t want Paul to lose heart and told him he still had work to do.
Paul could have easily buckled under the weight of all the pressure on him. He could have easily been discouraged and decided to quit the mission because the journey was too hard. But, Paul didn’t quit. He kept pressing forward and having hope in the Lord to complete the mission. Why? Because the Holy Spirit was in him and with him.
Application
Continue being filled with Holy Spirit and lean on His great faithfulness through the journey.
The journey of faith is not always easy, but when we are in line with God’s will, His Spirit will always provide the encouragement we need to continue pressing forward.
One of my goals several years ago was to memorize Ephesians 6:11-18, which is the passage on the armor of God. One particular part of the passage talks about putting on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, we may be able to take our stand; but after we have done everything, just keep standing.
We cannot keep standing without the Holy Spirit. Also, continually being filled with His Spirit is not an option, but a must, especially when we understand who is warring against our spirit. Ephesians says that our struggle is against the rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. It is not just the B-team. It is the A-team heads of evil! The only One able to defeat them and the only One who they have no hold over is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior! So why wouldn’t we want His Holy Spirit residing in us and being filled with Him everyday?
Are you facing an obstacle right now where you are tempted to throw in the towel? Read and memorize the armor of God in Ephesians 6 and be encouraged to stand firm in the Lord! Ask the Holy Spirit to fill You with His truth.
Prayer
Dear Lord, thank You for Your encouragement to keep standing firm, to keep pressing forward and to keep being on mission for You despite hardships and opposition. May we seek to always be filled with Your Holy Spirit so that we can withstand the pressures that come with living a life completely set apart for You. Amen.
-Michelle Gaddi