Time to Praise Our God Psalm 95
What is the thing that puts you into an immediate state of exultation; where you are in raptures? The obvious one is when your team wins in whatever code of football or sport you support. But what puts you in a state of wonder, awe…worship?
When I am amazed, especially through a discovery or experience in creation, that’s when it happens for me. When a new thing is revealed that I didn’t know or haven’t experienced before. I went diving the other week and was encouraged to touch a sea anemone. I wasn’t sure; I thought they were poisonous, but apparently, not for us and certainly not for clown fish - but other fish get stuck and are eaten! The beauty and the wonder of the fish, corals, clams and sea life. In fact, anything in creation will do it for me: cliffs, mountains, rainforests, and stars, or even looking into a microscope. God’s order and design are incredible…even when it’s frightening, like that wild wind we had the other day, or the power of rain, seeing lightning… or hail. That brings me to a place of awe, wonder…a place of praise.
What about you?
Certainly, that is what consumes a lot of what the Psalmist is speaking about here. How? Be prepared to sing (verse 2). Sing to the Lord, Joyful singing. Why? Because He is a Saviour. Joy involves thanksgiving. Praise must be on our lips. How? Often through meditating on who He is and what He has done, not just one song, but as it says here, the joyful noise involves songs of praise.
He is worthy (verse 3) There could have been any god over us, but (praise God) He is the Lord, a personal God, a God who meets with His people, a Great God, King above all gods. In fact, He is the only God. All other spirits are either angels or demons and not gods at all.
Praise from what is seen (verse 4-5) When I first encountered the Holy Spirit 30 years ago, my heart was opened to His power, everything looked different. I saw things differently. Praise God, I still do. Creation amazes me, as I am sure it does for you too. The psalmist said, “in his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.” The majesty that we see around the world in creation is truly awe-inspiring. But I think here in Australia, the natural beauty of our coastlines, beaches, reef, rainforest, snow peaks, arid bush, waterways, and river systems are among the best in the world. Maybe Africa is a rival 😊.
Our Maker (verse 6) What Power ordained and brought this forward? Not any God, but our God. We are the people of His pasture, sheep in His hand; He’s our Shepherd. Our God leads us. He leads through what He shows; He has shown us power, creation, salvation, beauty and wonder.
The Psalm takes a turn (verses 7 -14) Even God’s people can be hard of hearing. “Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.” (Verses 7-9) What happened, and why does the Psalmist take a turn here? As a warning. Miracles and exposure to grace, God’s deliverance, does not mean we have finished the race. The Israelites had left Egypt; mighty signs, wonders and 10 plagues – none affected them. They finally left with gold, silver, and livestock. Even at the point of challenging the Red Sea, God parted it with mighty deliverance. Why? Because they were on their way to Canaan. Egypt wasn’t their home; the wilderness was a place to pass through, not their home. Their home was Canaan; Israel was travelling there, but what happened?
They doubted. God parted the water, and now they thought God would not provide them with water (they complained of thirst at Meribah). He did, but they complained and kept complaining. Look at what the Psalmist said, “For forty years I loathed that generation and said, "They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways." Therefore, I swore in my wrath, "They shall not enter my rest." (Verses 11, 12)
The journey stopped. They stayed in the wilderness. That can happen to us. We have seen God work in the past; SEEN His grace and seen His blessing and abundance. But we get distracted on the journey; we look to our finances, our careers, our employment pipeline, our house, and our image, either in person or online…or we waste time with dreaming online rather than living in God’s world, making it a place of praise.
This Psalm exalts the character of God, but is also a warning. The warning is that just because you start out on the journey doesn’t mean you finish it. That generation in the wilderness died out. This Psalm also impacted the writer of the Hebrews because it has an eternal message.
Hebrews 3:7-9 “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, ….”
They started well: they left Egypt and they crossed the Red Sea, but didn’t continue. Why? Hebrews 3:19 tells us, “We see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” You have started well in your Christian walk; beware of unbelief in your walk.
You have seen the Lord bless; you have given Him praise because of what you have seen: what He has made and what he has done – He has saved you. But you are still in the wilderness. You are still on this earth. True transformation means that you see you are only passing through here. This isn’t your home.
So, we live with our eyes firmly fixed on the next world, not this one. Christ calls us to set our gaze on Him. This is the point of the Psalmist: to keep praising Him, to stay in a place of thankfulness. List the things that the Lord has done for you.
Think of today, not yesterday or tomorrow. Our writer in Hebrews, again commenting on this Psalm, said, “he appoints a certain day, "Today," saying through David so long afterwards, in the words already quoted, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." Paul also said to the Corinthians who needed to be reminded to keep their eyes upon Christ, today may be the day of your salvation, or it may be a day when you change your focus to Him.
Where are the eyes of your heart focused on this morning? Can I encourage you to focus on what is worthy of worship? This is the One who has saved your soul, the One who takes you to eternal rest. Your only Sabbath is found in Christ. You’re on your way through, not at the final place. Don’t get distracted.
Not only that, let’s be a people who draw others into a relationship with Christ as well. This week, let’s focus on what we can say or do to encourage someone to consider who they are, why they are here on this earth and the fact that this place really is a wilderness. You don’t stop in a wilderness; you pass through, and don’t stay there. Get to your destination. When you get that, you get your praise on.