Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Lord Worthy of Praise
Psalm 98:1-9
V9“let them sing before the Lord, for He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.”
What makes you burst into song? Is it the negative test result after months of treatment? Is it the acceptance letter to your dream school? Or is it hearing that first newborn baby cry?
In today’s passage of Psalm 98, the Psalmist gives 2 main reasons to burst into song:
O sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things. (Psalm 98:1)
Let them sing before the Lord, for He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity. (Psalm 98:9)
We will have no problem bursting into song when we reflect on the “marvelous things” God has done for us. Most of the songs we sing in church are just those kinds of songs… songs giving praise to God for His continued favor in our lives.
The challenge for us is to find a song to sing praising God for His coming judgment. There doesn’t seem to be a hymnal section for “Songs for Future Judgment”. What is there to praise God for that? Knowing that God is coming to “judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity” should make us want to cower and hide. Who is righteous? Who fares well against the fairness of God?
For the believer, this reason for praise is obvious. We don’t stand on the day of judgment on our own. In fact, in God’s perfect plan “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1) who pleads our case on our behalf. We don’t stand before Him fearful of His judgment because Christ has covered us with His blood and made us righteous through Him. “For our sake God made the one who knew no sin to be sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). We don’t fear the fairness of God because Jesus hides our unworthiness at the foot of His cross.
If that isn’t a reason to burst into song, then what is?
What makes you burst into song? Is it the negative test result after months of treatment? Is it the acceptance letter to your dream school? Or is it hearing that first newborn baby cry?
In today’s passage of Psalm 98, the Psalmist gives 2 main reasons to burst into song:
O sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things. (Psalm 98:1)
Let them sing before the Lord, for He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity. (Psalm 98:9)
We will have no problem bursting into song when we reflect on the “marvelous things” God has done for us. Most of the songs we sing in church are just those kinds of songs… songs giving praise to God for His continued favor in our lives.
The challenge for us is to find a song to sing praising God for His coming judgment. There doesn’t seem to be a hymnal section for “Songs for Future Judgment”. What is there to praise God for that? Knowing that God is coming to “judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity” should make us want to cower and hide. Who is righteous? Who fares well against the fairness of God?
For the believer, this reason for praise is obvious. We don’t stand on the day of judgment on our own. In fact, in God’s perfect plan “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1) who pleads our case on our behalf. We don’t stand before Him fearful of His judgment because Christ has covered us with His blood and made us righteous through Him. “For our sake God made the one who knew no sin to be sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). We don’t fear the fairness of God because Jesus hides our unworthiness at the foot of His cross.
If that isn’t a reason to burst into song, then what is?
Prayer
We praise You, Lord, for the marvelous things You have done for us. But we praise You more for Your marvelous Son, Jesus Christ. Because of Him, we do not fear His coming judgment because He has made us righteous. May all our new songs reflect this truth. Amen.
We praise You, Lord, for the marvelous things You have done for us. But we praise You more for Your marvelous Son, Jesus Christ. Because of Him, we do not fear His coming judgment because He has made us righteous. May all our new songs reflect this truth. Amen.
Thought for the day:
The righteousness of Jesus covers our unworthiness.
Merry Thomas
Horeb Mar Thoma Church, Los Angeles, CA