By Dave Grant
Read these words from Psalm 96 that is the true Word of God for the beloved people of God.
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.
I write this on the Day of Epiphany and on this morning the day greeted me with the glory of the Lord. Today as I finished my morning run coming up the street to my house at 7:00 .am. I saw the deep red streaks of light showing on the eastern sky as creation sang glory to God. Just a half-hour later as I circled the elementary school to drop off my daughter, we all noticed the amazingly gorgeous orange, pink, magenta, purple, and dark blue canvas of the sky reflecting its beauty in the waters of Watts Bar Lake that evoked an audible exclamation from all of us as we joined creation’s song of praise to God. Then ten minutes later as I left the middle school I saw to the northern sky striped with pink and baby blue while straight ahead were wide brushes of salmon, light blue and lavender harmonized in a chorus of praise. And in the fore-front of the canvas was the white plume from the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant cooling towers. Even the atoms singing praise before the Lord as they offer us a way to heat our homes.
As I move into this year, there could easily be the tendency to approach it as a worn and weary man who has gone through this past year of pandemic and isolation, missing my father’s 90th birthday, being moved to a new town—in isolation—with new jobs, new schools, and all that goes with moving. I write this as we have experienced a year of sickness, angst, separation, new systems, new technologies, new facial ward-robes, and long lines at health departments. Added to all that, today has ended in violence and tragedy at the U.S. Capitol.
We could all complain about a lot of things. We could cry that we aren’t getting what we want out of life right now. We might even want to cry, “How long, O Lord?” Be clear, lament is OK before the Lord, but growth comes when we can join Job and say, “I know my Redeemer lives!” Growth comes when we can join in singing Hallelujah Anyhow! Growth comes when we can publish His glorious deeds among the nations and tell everyone about the amazing things He has done. The Lord deserves glory and is enthroned on our praises (Psalm 22:3).
I move into 2021 as one who is weary and worn, as one who is questioning my role in a new place, and as one who wonders how long, O Lord. But I am committing now to sing praise, to make the Lord’s glorious deeds known, to sing Hallelujah come what may. I know my redeemer lives. I know He takes away my sin. I know He died that I might live and live abundantly. I join heaven and earth in rejoicing. I figure if I focus on rejoicing over the fact that the Lord reigns, then all the messiness of this world will not pull me into the pit of despair.
Walk with the King and be a blessing today!
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If you are following our “Daily Bible-Reading Plan,” today's passages are John 12 & Psalm 95 (or 96).