Shout!
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
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.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100
I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel.
My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you— I whom you have delivered.
My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long, for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion. Psalm 71:22-24
Insight
Like most teenagers, earbuds seem like an extra appendage for my daughter, Paige. She listens to music almost 24/7. Often, when I call her for dinner, I get radio silence. So the other day, after once again getting no response, I walked up the stairs, knocked on the door, and let myself in.
There she was screaming (er...I mean singing) at the top of her lungs and bouncing around the room. Limbs were flying everywhere. A huge smile consumed her face. Indeed, she was dancing like nobody was watching. At that moment, Paige found herself lost in a song.
Music has a way of capturing our hearts and providing an outlet to express it. We see people losing themselves in a song in today's passages, but it's one of praise this time.
Psalm 100 is a short song of thanksgiving. Yet, even though it is only five verses long, the weight of the emotion and truth contained within it is significant.
We lose ourselves in worship when we find ourselves secure in His love and faithfulness towards us. The transformation inside can't help but express itself on the outside. Worship puts words to our encounter with Christ. We praise Him for who He is and what He has done. He is God, and He is good, and through song, we acknowledge this reality. He is the only One worthy of our praise.
The freedom we have in Christ is music to our ears - a song we want to play on repeat.
When the world tries to tear us down and beat us up, we utilize worship as a weapon. During those times when the enemy whispers lies, we shout praises to the One who fought for us. In those circumstances where nothing makes sense, we put our earbuds in and remind ourselves that God never lets us down, and His unfailing love continues forever.
Reflection
Where do you need to lose yourself in a song of praise? How can you express your thankfulness for God's faithfulness?
Prayer
God, You put a song in my heart. It is a tune of forgiveness, grace, and love. I will praise you for You are worthy of my affection and attention. There are not enough words and not enough songs, to truly capture all the ways You have been faithful to me. In Your name, Jesus. Amen.