Lisa Sheffler, author
Hello friends! Lisa, here. Welcome back to our Psalms Playlist series. I am taking some vacation time with my family, so for Days 2–5, I have selected some excerpts from other authors to guide you through Psalm 100. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the variety of voices reflecting on this beloved psalm. While I’m only including select quotes, I will provide links so you can read each author in full.
Last week’s Engage God Daily on Psalm 51 was written by guest author, David King. Unfortunately, his name was left off some versions of the guide. I appreciated his insights as he led us through David’s amazing psalm of repentance and restoration. So, thank you David!
Psalm 100
A psalm. For giving grateful praise.
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 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.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
From its inception, Psalm 100 has been used to encourage God’s people in corporate worship. According to this psalm, how should we worship when we gather together? What should we think, say, and do?
Reflect
Throughout Church history, Psalm 100 has been known as the Jubilate, Latin for “shout for joy.” It calls us to come together and praise our faithful and loving God with joyful and exuberant worship. Yet, because of the current global pandemic, the majority of churches aren’t meeting in person for services. Like Christ Fellowship, many are meeting online. How can we worship together when we’re apart?
Though we are physically separated, we can still worship corporately. We may not be able to hear each other’s voices, but we can still raise them as one. By singing the same words at the same time, our voices are united across the distance as we lift them in praise to God. As God’s people, we should participate in worship from home with the same devotion and joy as we would if we were under the same roof. We can still come before the Lord with joyful song together.
Of course, being separated has reminded us of just how important the gathered church is. But even after the threat of the virus fades and we resume meeting in person, we will still be a scattered Church. Our local fellowship will come together, but time and distance separates the big-C Church — believers from every age and every place. It won’t always be that way.
I imagine that one day, after Jesus returns for his people, we will all enter the gates of the New Jerusalem with noisy and resounding joy and over-the-top praise. Psalm 100 will become a reality that we can only partially imagine now. The whole earth will shout and rejoice in our Lord’s faithfulness. We will celebrate the ultimate redemption for which our hearts long and believers from every time and every corner of this globe will praise him with one voice, “ For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
Respond
How has being unable to gather in person worship services affected you? Are you being diligent to attend online and participate in the services? Are you connecting with your fellow believers in whatever way you can? How can Psalm 100 encourage you to do so this week?
