Delight Yourself in the Lord Devotionals

Shout Joyfully to the Lord - Psalm 100

There was a song we used to sing at a church I attended while in high school and as a young adult. The lyrics were

My Jesus, my Savior, Lord there is none like You
All of my days I want to praise the wonders of Your mighty love
My Comfort, my Shelter, Tower of refuge and strength
Let every breath, all that I am, never cease to worship You

Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing
Power and majesty, praise to the King
Mountains bow down and the sea will roar at the sound of Your Name
I sing for joy at the work of Your hands
Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand
Nothing compares to the promise I have in You

Earlier, I wrote about the differences between praise and worship and how, when we worship, we aren't doing so because God has an ego that needs our praise, but we are doing it in order for our minds to be focused on Him, on the wonderful goodness that flows from Him and floods our lives, so that our worldly problems will be put into the right perspective, and we can enter into His joy and rest. Worship feeds our souls with the nourishment they need, filling us with joy and hope, in a world so full of sorrow and hopelessness. I mentioned that, in order to develop one's love language, they can look at the book of Psalms.

Most of the psalms are songs of praise and worship, a way of expressing one's gratitude for all that the Lord has done. There's another song that says, "Look what the Lord has done! Look what the Lord has done! He's healed my body, He's touched my mind, He saved me just in time, oh, I'm gonna praise His name, each day He's just the same! Come help me praise Him, look what the Lord has done."

Consider those words: each day He's just the same. This is very helpful in times of struggle and doubt, when you're feeling like He has abandoned you, you can recall that His Word says that He will never leave or forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:8; Hebrews 13:5-6). Or, when you're struggle with shame and guilt, you can recall that His Word says that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1-4).

Worshiping joyfully is possible because we know who God is and that He doesn't change. Unlike our human relationships, God doesn't just stop talking to us or caring about us or liking us on a whim. He pursues us and seeks us and provides for us and calls out to us constantly and consistently. Take some time today to shout joyfully to the Lord and offer Him worship and thanks for all that He as done, for who He is, and all that He has promised to do. Make it a habit to start and end your days with praise and see the difference it makes in your outlook on life, your treatment of others and yourself, no matter your circumstances.

Sing to the Lord, O you His godly ones, and give thanks at the mention of His holy name. - Psalm 30:4, AMP

Read all of Psalm 100, Amplified Version, here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+100&version=AMP