God Speaks
96 1 Sing a new song to the Lord!
Let the whole earth sing to the Lord!
2 Sing to the Lord; praise his name.
Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.
3 Publish his glorious deeds among the nations.
Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.
4 Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
He is to be feared above all gods.
5 The gods of other nations are mere idols,
but the Lord made the heavens!
6 Honor and majesty surround him;
strength and beauty fill his sanctuary.
7 O nations of the world, recognize the Lord;
recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong.
8 Give to the Lord the glory he deserves!
Bring your offering and come into his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor.
Let all the earth tremble before him.
10 Tell all the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
The world stands firm and cannot be shaken.
He will judge all peoples fairly.
11 Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice!
Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!
12 Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy!
Let the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 before the Lord, for he is coming!
He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with justice,
and the nations with his truth.
97 1 The Lord is king!
Let the earth rejoice!
Let the farthest coastlands be glad.
2 Dark clouds surround him.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire spreads ahead of him
and burns up all his foes.
4 His lightning flashes out across the world.
The earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
every nation sees his glory.
7 Those who worship idols are disgraced—
all who brag about their worthless gods—
for every god must bow to him.
8 Jerusalem has heard and rejoiced,
and all the towns of Judah are glad
because of your justice, O Lord!
9 For you, O Lord, are supreme over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.
10 You who love the Lord, hate evil!
He protects the lives of his godly people
and rescues them from the power of the wicked.
11 Light shines on the godly,
and joy on those whose hearts are right.
12 May all who are godly rejoice in the Lord
and praise his holy name!
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Psalm 96 is the joyous psalm of a person who loves the LORD with every part of their being. They just don’t have words grand enough to describe Him. Whether they are talking with an individual or to whole nations, they just can’t stop praising the LORD for who He is and what He has done.
Psalm 97 focuses on the power, majesty, and awesomeness of the LORD. He is surrounded by righteousness and justice. Mighty storm clouds, raging fire, flashes of lightning, towering mountains, and all the far-flung galaxies must submit to Him. Every so-called god or idol must bow before Him. Every megalopolis, metropolis, city, village, and people group will one day submit to the sovereignty of the LORD God. All the godly will praise His holy name.
Prayer: I sing unto You, O my loving Heavenly Father. I love to sing Your praises (however off key I may be). Help me to open my mouth and tell everyone about the wonderful things You do. You are great and worthy of all the praise I can give. Nothing compares to You. After all, You made the universe and everything in it. You are surrounded by honor and majesty. You exude beauty and strength. All the nations should recognize and glorify You. Everything that exists must all give You the glory You deserve. Only our very lives and existence would qualify as a proper offering to You, O God Most High. The day is coming (may it be soon) when You will come to dwell on the earth and judge it. You will bring Your truth and justice to all the nations and everything You have created. Your power and might are extremely great. You are sovereign over everything that exists. All cities, towns, villages, and people must acknowledge Your supremacy, for You made it all. You will protect and rescue from the wicked all those who love You and hate evil. Let Your light shine on the godly and Your joy fill those whose hearts are right with You (myself included). May all the godly rejoice in You and praise Your holy name. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will research and learn a new (to me) hymn or praise and worship song.
- I will take literally verse 2b, “Each day proclaim the good news that He [God] saves.” (NLT) and challenge myself to truly do that each day this week.
- I will view photos from the Webb space telescope and ponder and praise the vastness of the God who made it all.
- I will join with other godly people to rejoice in the LORD and praise His holy name.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.