“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”Psalm 100:1-5
Psalm 100 is a beautiful reflection as we approach Thanksgiving Day. Truly, for believers in Christ, this Psalm should shape all of our days.
In just five short verses, this Psalm calls the whole earth to grateful worship of God, instructs us how to offer this praise (verses 1, 2, and 4) and reminds us why God is worthy of our worship and gratitude by revealing God’s character and His care (verses 3 and 5).
In short, Psalm 100 calls us to approach the Lord with thanksgiving and praise, knowing we belong to a good God.
The Psalmist invites the whole world to a posture of praise as we enter His presence. The language used reflects zealous exaltation: Joyful noise, Glad service, Singing, Thanksgiving & Praise and the Blessing of His name.
The Psalmist lets us know that we are not called to blind worship, but to mindful, informed worship. We are called to “know” who the Lord is and “know” who we are in relation to Him. The Lord is our Creator. We belong to Him, like sheep to a shepherd, utterly dependent on Him. We see and experience his goodness, his love, his mercy and his faithfulness as spoken of in Psalm 100. The glory of His goodness is the foundation of our gratitude and praise.
As we move into the New Testament, we see the call to worship is reinforced, even elevated.
Think of Philippians 4 and the call to rejoice always.
Consider 1 Thessalonians 5:18 and the call to give thanks in everything.
And, reflect on Romans 12:1-2 that calls us to worship by offering our entire existence as living sacrifices to the Lord.
We know that only lives transformed by the Gospel and indwelt by the Spirit of Jesus can even begin to reflect the continual, grateful praise commanded by the Lord in Psalm 100. But, even in Christ, we sense how often we fall short in this.
As I meditated on this Psalm, I had to ask, how can I grow in this? How can I grow to offer more praise? How can I rejoice in the Lord more fully? How can I serve more gladly? Become more grateful? In short, how can I grow to live in a way that reflects sacrificial worship of the Lord?
I believe the simple answer is to look to Jesus. He gives us the perfect picture of the “blessed” life we see reflected in the Beatitudes. It is in looking at Him that we, time and time again, recognize the poverty of our own spirits and realize our own great need for help outside of ourselves.
We must remember and meditate on the One who is the exact image of the invisible God; the One who did not count equality with God as a thing to be grasped; the One who humbled himself as a servant, even to death on a cross; the One who loved the unlovable; the untouchable; he One who washed the feet of the one He knew would betray Him; the One who perfectly lived out 1 Corinthians 13, the “love” chapter.
The Lord in His wisdom has provided, through the person and work of Christ, to save us from the penalty of our sin. He has promised that we have been delivered from the power of sin. And, in his perfect life, He gave us a picture of what it looks like to live in a way that is a living sacrifice, a perfect picture of true worship.
As we engage with our extended families and/or friends over the holiday season, we will encounter trying circumstances. We will, more than likely, be in situations where we have the opportunity to engage with those who appear cranky, quarrelsome, disengaged, lazy, cynical, arrogant, judgmental, rude, manipulative and more.
In some cases, they may be unbelievers. May we remember they have no hope.
Or maybe they are believers and need a gentle encouragement that reminds them of their hope in the Lord.
In all this, may we remember the work of Christ in us and our daily need for His grace. May we remember that, apart from Him, we were hopelessly lost in our own sin.
May we remember the life of Christ. May we look to Him, know Him, love Him and by the help of His Spirit, may we love others as He loved.
And may our lives be offered as living sacrifices, joyfully and gratefully serving, worshiping, and praising our good God.
