Connected in The Word 9-2-25
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100:1 & 5
Psalm 100 is a short psalm (only 5 verses), and I’ve included the first sentence and last sentence of this psalm above. The first sentence is an imperative to praise, while the last sentence speaks of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. That’s basically the pattern of the entire psalm. There are imperatives to praise and give thanks, and there are declarations about our loving and faithful Good Shepherd, Creator, and LORD!
In life, there are always prerequisites to the imperatives to praise and give thanks. Here’s what I mean. Someone is not going to be grateful just because you tell them to be grateful. Someone is not going to praise God just because you tell them to praise God. There are prerequisites to the imperatives to praise and give thanks. The more I think about it, when the prerequisites of praise and thanksgiving are met – The imperatives aren’t even necessary. People are grateful when they have been shown mercy. People praise God when they experience His faithfulness.
As I read Psalm 100 again and again, I’m beginning to think the psalmist is simply speaking to himself about God’s love and faithfulness, because how many people go around telling others to “be grateful” and to “praise God”? I guess there are those annoying people in the world that spend their days insisting that others should be more grateful, but I don’t think that is what the psalmist is doing. I think this is simply an example of someone who has experienced the lovingkindness and faithfulness of God, and therefore they can’t help but to give thanks and praise Him.
Join us in worship this weekend as we dive deeper into Psalm 100.
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