Key Texts: Psalm 98
Sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things;
His right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
The Lord has made his salvation known
and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
He has remembered his love
and his faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
make music to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—
shout for joy before the Lord, the King.
Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
let the mountains sing together for joy;
let them sing before the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.
It is easy to become discouraged by life’s challenges, tempting to say that “nothing is new under the sun” and that the same old news is bad news. We can believe evil will prevail. Modern media, sadly, often adds fuel to this fire – whether intentional or not.
We need renewal – hope – a reason to keep going.
The Psalmist reminds us why there is reason for such hope.
Time and again, despite the harsh realities of the wrong choices humanity has made, the “Lord has made his salvation known…has remembered his love…and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”
There is indeed reason to shout for joy to the Lord, and burst into jubilant song with music.
Despite the pain and hardship, the conflict, the ignorance – there can be much healing, reconciliation, wisdom, hope and grace – you see, we have a choice. We can choose to be instruments of peace and love, acting in faith, we can celebrate that God’s kingdom will prevail. It is by design – God’s design.
And, it is marvelous.
IGW3 - In God's Word, In God's Will, In God's Work 