Psalm 100:1-5
A Psalm for giving thanks.
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.
When was the last time you shouted to the Lord? Have you ever?
When I was praying today about what to write, this was the verse I got, but with the word “shout,” not “make a joyful noise.” I knew it depended on the translation, so I asked myself, “what does this mean in the original writing?” It was Ruwa, meaning “to shout a war cry, shout in triumph, shout for joy.” This made me think of the story in Joshua 6; the Israelites were going to take the city of Jericho and were told to march around the city seven days and on the last day to shout, for the city will collapse.
Do we really know the God we are serving? How many times do we go to the Lord feeling defeated? I know I do. I let the cares of life drain me or the lies of the enemy suck the life out of me, even though I know He has promised that His yoke and burdens are easy and light (Matthew 11:28-30.) So again, do we really know who we are serving? This word Ruwa in Psalm 100 says we are to shout to the Lord as if going into war or rejoicing in victory. God is the all-powerful King of King over all. We are not defeated. We serve a God who makes the enemy seem less than an ant. Praise the Lord.
My challenge for you this week is to think of someone you know who is going through a hard season or deals with depression and commit to praying for them. I set an alarm on my phone to go off every day at a certain time to remind me to pray for that person in my life; it can be easy to forget otherwise. If someone is really important to you why not start praying like they are; find time every day to set aside a few minutes for prayer, and set an alarm if you need to.
