Psalm of Praise: Psalms 99:1-2
The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble;
he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake.
Great is the Lord in Zion;
he is exalted over all the nations.
Bible Reading:Psalms 98:1-6
Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvellous things;
his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;
make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing,
with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn,
shout for joy before the Lord, the King.
A Reflection:
There are some great new hymn writers around today, Keith and Kristyn Getty, Stuart Townend, Bernadette Farrell, Graham Kendrick and Matt Redman to name but a few. Some new hymns and songs stand the test of time, others fall by the wayside. Charles Wesley, one of the greatest hymn writers ever, and one of the founders of the Methodist Church, wrote over 6,000 hymns yet only 55 are currently in the United Methodist Hymnal. But they are great hymns.
Psalm 98 encourages us to sing a new song to the Lord. I wonder how you feel when we sing new hymns or songs in church. Maybe you appreciate new words and music with which to worship God, or maybe you get frustrated and wish we could sing something more familiar.
Why do you think we are encouraged to sing a new song to the Lord?
As the psalmist sings his new song to the Lord, he looks back over what God has done and he lifts his voice in praise. He praises God for his salvation, for his righteousness, for his love and for his faithfulness.
As you look back over the last year, what are the things you thank God for?
Could you turn your thanks into a song of praise, or if you are not musical, into words of praise?
As the psalmist reflects on God’s goodness his thoughts turn to encourage the world around him to worship God, ‘Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.’ I wonder if your praise of God could turn into a testimony to others about his love and faithfulness for all of us. Could it inspire you to tell others about the salvation that you have found through faith in Jesus?
Pray:
Almighty God of all creation, I stand in awe of your love and mercy.
Keep me mindful of your many blessings as I step out into the unknown of this new year
Amen
His mercy is more (Shane and Shane)