November 12, 2019
For full passage click: Psalm 98:1-5 … “O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory.” vs. 1
The people of Israel regularly offered praise and thanksgiving to the Lord as they traveled to worship in the temple. Special songs were composed by the Levites and if the country had been enjoying success on the battlefield, the rituals were particularly festive. They believed that any prosperity and all victories were the work of God on their behalf. Strangely, we followers of Jesus often get caught up in our experiences of pain and suffering on the journey, and spend an inordinate amount of time with laments and cries for help. But life isn’t always like that. Occasionally, and even often, we’ll be overwhelmed with the blessings that have been poured into our laps–at times we can feel exceptionally prosperous. Our families do well, our children surprise us, and even the nation seems full of goodness. It would be nice in those times that we could be as exuberant as the Psalmist in singing to the Lord a new song! God does do marvelous things in our lives and in response we should raise the roofs with our shouts of joy! God gets plenty of blame in tough times—how wonderful it is to reverse the pattern and offer loud cries of praise when times are good.
Thought for the Day: When was the last time I praised God for my blessings?
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