Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Today’s Reading  |  Psalm 96

O sing to the Lord a new song;
   sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
   tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
   his marvelous works among all the peoples.
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
   he is to be revered above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
   but the Lord made the heavens.
Honor and majesty are before him;
   strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
   ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
   bring an offering, and come into his courts.
Worship the Lord in holy splendor;
   tremble before him, all the earth.

Say among the nations, “The Lord is king!
   The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.
   He will judge the peoples with equity.”
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
   let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
   let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
   before the Lord; for he is coming,
   for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
   and the peoples with his truth. (NRSV)      

Reflection
This psalm is an invitation of praise for God. In our world, praise is a good thing and is done with loving intentions towards one another. Sometimes, it can go awry in our lives: it can become idolatrous or vain; it can inflate egos; and it can throw us off of perspective. But praise for God is always different. Praise for God is always done in love, because there is no need to offer praise to God for any other reason. This psalm reminds us of that love; it does us no good to praise God if we truly do not want to. Praise for God comes out of our love and our desire.

Let today’s passage serve as a reminder of our love for God. Not to praise because we have to, but because of our love for God, and because of God’s love for us.

Prayer
As our prayer, let us read aloud the psalm, slowly. Listen to the words, and read it aloud with all the love in your heart for God, thinking of the ways in which God’s love has manifested in your life and offer that back to God. Amen.

Written by Shelley Donaldson, Senior High and Confirmation Youth Coordinator

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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