Rejoice and Declare
Sing a new song to the Lord; let the whole earth sing to the Lord. Sing to the Lord, bless his name; proclaim his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his wondrous works among all people.
Psalm 96:1-3 (CSB)
Believers are called to rejoice in the Lord. A moment of praise from a believer's life creates an opportunity to proclaim the Lord's greatness, goodness, and glory. Through praise, we express the joy in our hearts that comes from being a child of God. This act of worship focuses not on ourselves but instead allows us to declare the Lord and His character. As we reflect on Psalm 96, let us strive to rejoice in a way that showcases the Lord's greatness.
Sing A New Song (1-6). We sing a new song of praise because of the great works and wonders of the Lord. The Psalmist calls us to recognize that the new song of our hearts as believers emerges from salvation. When we experience the work of salvation in our lives, we must worship the Lord by declaring this salvation to the nations. This occurs through our individual testimonies of what the Lord has done and through the expression and proclamation of the gospel. This song proclaims the great works of the Lord and the miracle of salvation. Thus, we receive a new song that proclaims His greatness.
Serve With Reverence (7-10). The new song from our heart leads us to the act of worship through serving the Lord. We serve the Lord because we recognize He is our King and we are His servants. As a result, we, as His servants, must obey and follow His commands and leading. We serve the Lord in reverence because we recognize His greatness, glory, strength, and holiness. Because the Lord is holy, we must come to the understanding that the Lord is to be recognized for who He is and who we are not. Thus, we approach with praise from a position of reverence.
Shout With Joy Over Creation (11-13). The Psalmist noted that we must announce to the nations that the Lord reigns. This shout of joy rests in the promises of the Lord. Though still living under the Old Covenant, here the New Covenant promises that we should shout for joy over creation. The world is firmly established because of the Lord. The Lord judges all of humanity with fairness and justice. The Lord will return, and in His return, He will bring eternal judgment. The judgment of the world occurs by His standards of righteousness and faithfulness, not by the metrics of this world. Thus, we rejoice and shout for joy.
QUESTIONS
How would you describe the new song of worship that flows from the presence and work of the Lord in your life?
How do you create the posture of reverence before the Lord?
