“Praise and Thanksgiving” – Psalm 96, by CountrySlicker

Psalm 96 begins with an exhortation to “sing to the LORD a new song”!  The psalm then guides us through the ways that we should should sing to the Lord and praise Him.  I like to view this as a “how to guide” for praising the Lord.

This psalm guides us through not only the “how”, but also the “why” we should be praising the Lord.  Not just today, but every day.  The psalmist guides us in taking our eyes off of our own situations and difficulties and adjusting our focus to be centered on the Lord.  The verses help us to focus on who He is, what He has done in the past, what He is doing among His people today, and what he will do leading into eternity.  As we progress through the verses, we find ourselves rejoicing with the heavenly congregation.

The closing verses of this psalm leave us focused on a work of the Lord that is yet to come, a work that only He can do.  He will return to judge the earth.  For the Christian, this is reason to give thanks and and lift up praise.  We can only rejoice in knowing that “He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with His truth.”

May you be lifted up and filled with praise and thanksgiving as you shift your focus to the work of God that will be performed in His perfect “righteousness” and “truth”.

¹ Oh, sing to the LORD a new song!

Sing to the LORD, all the earth.

² Sing to the LORD, bless His name;

Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.

³ Declare His glory among the nations,

His wonders among all peoples.

⁴ For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised;

He is to be feared above all gods.

⁵ For all the gods of the peoples are idols,

But the LORD made the heavens.

⁶ Honor and majesty are before Him;

Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

⁷ Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples,

Give to the LORD glory and strength.

⁸ Give to the LORD the glory due His name;

Bring an offering, and come into His courts.

⁹ Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness!

Tremble before Him, all the earth.

¹⁰ Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns;

The world also is firmly established,

It shall not be moved;

He shall judge the peoples righteously.”

¹¹ Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;

Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;

¹² Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it.

Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the LORD.

¹³ For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth.

He shall judge the world with righteousness,

And the peoples with His truth.

(Psalm 96 NKJV)

God Bless and Happy Thanksgiving,

CountrySlicker