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.
According to this psalm, why is God worthy of our praise? How has he shown himself worthy of praise in your life?
Reflect
From Dr. Becky Luman, Wesley Biblical Seminary
This short song is a call to worship God with reasons given as to why God is worthy. John Stott, Anglican scholar, said that worship is a combination of adoration and surrender. In adoration, we are emotionally and intellectually moved with wonder, admiration, and love for our incredible Lord. The reasonable response to such awe is surrender, to give to him our possessions, our time, our energy—our very lives and selves.
The basis for our adoration is the marvelous character of God. He is our Creator who brought us into being. He is our sustaining shepherd who guards and guides us as his own sheep (verse 3).
Verse 5 states that God is good. That fact was a wondrous and revolutionary revelation to Jews living in an era when a plethora of gods around them were revered and feared. The gods of the nations had to be appeased, for they were portrayed as indifferent or hostile toward humankind. That a god would be good, that it would have the welfare of its people at heart, set Yahweh apart from other so-called gods. God’s character is further defined as eternal love and generational faithfulness to his people.
To read the rest of this devotional, go to https://wbs.edu/2016/10/psalm-100-song-joyful-worship/
Respond
How have you experienced God’s goodness and faithfulness? List some of the ways, then spend some time praising God for them. Sing or shout your praise to God! How can you show both adoration and surrender today?