READ: Psalm 98-100
This
series of psalms is full of praise and worship to God. Each of them begins with
an invitation into this praise. These are meant to be corporate, whole-life,
all-of-creation-included worship songs. Yet even though each invites us into
worship, praise and thanksgiving, there are differences in style of worship for
each of the three.
Psalm
98 is an invitation for all of Creation to praise the Lord. It has a sense of
loud, powerful, shouting-style, praise. The words used in this psalm invoke a
feeling of exuberance and celebration. Words like ‘shout’, ‘burst’, ‘blast’,
‘horn’, and ‘trumpet’ indicate a style of worship some might consider
over-the-top. In this psalm we see the participation of nature in the praise.
The sea resounds! Anyone who has spent time beside a large body of water knows
the sound can be deafening. Add to all this noise, rivers clapping, and
mountains singing, and you have a universe full of worship sounds!
Psalm
99 is no longer directed to all of creation but rather to the nations. Instead
of a psalm of jubilation like Psalm 98, this one has a tone of solemnity. There
is a sense of awe and holy fear invoked throughout the text. Nations should
tremble. The King is mighty and loves justice. There is a strong sense
throughout this psalm of God as both political King and spiritual King. God’s
justice shines through. The Psalmist reveals to us the fullness of God’s heart,
both His justice and His mercy. We see He punishes and forgives. In the middle
of this psalm we also see Exhibit A and Exhibit B. Exhibit A is Moses and
Aaron. Exhibit B is the prophet Samuel. These both led the nation of Israel to
follow God. The Psalmist has put these exhibits out for us to see it really is
possible for a nation, led by men, to follow God as King.
The
heart of Psalm 100 is directed at people and individuals. There is still a
sense of celebratory worship, however it lacks the noise of Psalm 98. Instead
of addressing entire nations, the Psalmist is addressing the sheep. The people.
The everyday folk. He awakens our notice of God’s involvement in our creation.
We are invited to remember we are intimately known because God made us and we
belong to Him. In this psalm we are encouraged to worship God, not because of
His power or His political sovereignty but because of the relationship He has
with us. Because we are His sheep He cares, provides, nurtures, and tends to
us. He is good to us. He loves us. He is faithful to us.
This
series of psalms gives us so many different dimensions of praise to engage in.
Psalm 100:5 is a beautiful summary of why we should worship and praise our God.
JOURNALING AND
PRAYER
1. Often Christians
feel they can only worship with ‘their’ style of music, whether it’s rap,
country, contemporary, hymns or even screamo metal. What is your favourite
style of worship music? Is there a style of worship you prefer? Perhaps
liturgical, solemn, casual, formal, charismatic, other? In this series of
psalms we see God inviting and appreciating worship in many different forms and
styles. Ask God what this might mean for you? Do you need to extend grace to
the loud and raunchy Psalm 98 style worshippers, or need to be more patient
with the touchy-feely Psalm 100 type people, or do you need to believe the
solemn, awe-struck and quiet worship of the Psalm 99 style people is genuine?
Ask the Lord to speak to you about any struggle you have regarding worship
styles. Then spend time thanking Him for accepting worship in such diverse
ways.
2. Take a few minutes
to pray for our country. Pray for our government leaders to develop a fear of
the Lord and to call on Him for wisdom and direction. Pray for churches and
Christians across this land to bend their knee in confession so the Lord can
forgive our nation’s sins.
3. Ask the Lord to
speak to you very personally about how much He loves you. Write down what He
says, then spend time in thanksgiving and praise for His love and faithfulness.
