Kristin Reynolds, Advancement Chair, Children’s Council member, Member since 2000

Psalm 100:1-5 (NIV)
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his[a];
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
5  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Reflection:
Oh, how I have missed being together in church worshipping God and singing songs of praise. I know I can praise God wherever I am, but there is something to be said for a large group of people singing a song to God with the organ accompaniment that fills my heart with joy and gladness. Due to the current circumstances, at school, my children use sign language to sing songs at their weekly chapel service, but it hasn’t stopped them from coming home and telling me how much they loved chapel and worshipping God.  

Psalm 100 is the perfect instruction manual for how we should worship God. This Psalm was not a call to worship just for the people of Israel as one would think in the Old Testament, but rather a call to all nations. These five verses in the Bible tell us worship is simple and not a passive act. It uses words such as come, give, and enter which demand action in our daily lives.  This passage outlines ways to practice worship and explains why we are called to praise God in this way. The psalm tells us we can shout for joy, worship with gladness, or come to him with joyful songs. It also says we can “know that the Lord is our God” and our complete devotion is the act of praise. Verse 3 reminds us that we praise God to celebrate our covenant with him, “It is he who made us, and we are his: we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”

In verse 4 the last three commands of worship are illustrated. We are charged with entering gates with thanksgiving, the courts with praise, and giving thanks to him. The use of gates and courts is a way of encouraging everyone to participate, not just those that could enter the temple. The Psalm ends with a second reason or motivation for praising God. We are commanded to worship God because he is good, merciful, and faithful. I can’t think of any better reason to praise his holy name.  

How will you worship God today? Will you shout his name joyfully, or sing a song of praise? Will you choose to pray a prayer of thanksgiving for his faithfulness?  Whatever you do, God will delight in your worship and devotion.  

Prayer:

Oh, God, you are loving and good and I sing songs of worship in your name. Hear my praise and fill my heart with joy and gladness so your love can be seen by all. In your holy name, I pray. Amen.