Friday, November 22, 2013

A CALL TO PRAISE THE LORD by Cathy Westmoreland


As Thanksgiving approaches, perhaps it would be a good thing to focus on verses that tell us to be thankful. This is one woman's perspective on a particular passage of Scripture. What is your perspective on this passage?


This is one of the most read and most beloved Psalms in the Bible.  

 Psalm 100 - New American Standard Bible

1.  Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
2.  Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing.
3.  Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4.  Enter His gates with Thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
5.  For the Lord is good; His loving kindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.

The first verse of this Psalm is the fourth verse of Psalm 98. What does shout joyfully to the Lord mean? I tell the children that every word God says is true and important but when He tells us something more than once, He is trying to get our attention. I believe that the Psalm opens with a command to all to praise the Lord with great joy and excitement. I get a feeling of excitement anticipating what GOD will do in His house of worship on Sunday. Some Sunday mornings while singing praises to Him, I feel as though I could let out a Tarzan style yell of praise because my heart is so full.  

In verses 1 and 2 King David is calling on everyone to prepare for worship. Why do we praise God? Because to praise is to tell the world who He is and show our love and gratitude to our Holy Father. Worship is a service to our Lord and we should enjoy it. It is a way of preparing our hearts to hear from Him. I love to sing praises and I feel that it is an important part of worship. Now, most of my friends know that I cannot carry a tune, but I sing with joy because it's not about my voice but about my heart...He deserves my praise.

In verse 3, I believe the Psalmist is giving us the purpose of praise.  He is telling us that the Lord is the one true and living GOD who created all things and called us to be His people. He made us and we belong to him. He is our shepherd and He cares for each one in his flock. I think that alone deserves a shout of praise.

Verses 4 and 5 show us the power in worship. Because Christ tore down the wall of sin which separates us from God's presence, every believer can rejoice in worship. I definitely don't deserve what Jesus has done for me, but I am so glad that because of the depth of His mighty love on the cross and  his wondrous resurrection I have eternal life. I have a direct relationship and He invites sinful me to enter His presence. That is a miracle. He is the giver of all that is good, living and true. His love and faithfulness are for all time throughout the ages. 

This Psalm tells me to Praise the Lord and to thank the Lord. It is a joy to praise Him.  

Praise Him, Praise Him! Jesus our blessed redeemer! Sing, O Earth, His wonderful love proclaim!  



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