Psalm 95. A
Call to Worship and Obedience
This Psalm begins with such happy language, “let us
sing to the Lord,” “let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!”
Hmmm…..I can do that. I love music, especially the hand clapping, foot tapping
music at St. Thomas. But, the first glimpse of something deeper is the awesome
power of the Lord with the words “in his hand are the depths of the earth; the
heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and the
dry land, which his hands have formed.” God is more powerful than any other
gods we can imagine. Money, greed, power to sway judicial, political or human
processes; these all pale in comparison with the power of God. The Lord is the
great King over our whole created order and the universe.
We are members of his flock, the “people of his
pasture.” Therefore, we are called to worship him. This does require some
discipline on our part (and obedience). We need to recognize his presence in
our life, and either literally or metaphorically “kneel before the Lord, our
Maker.” We are urged to honor our covenant with Him and not to turn away from
God’s presence in our life and his grace with the words “do not harden your
hearts.” Being human, though, the psalmist has additional words of caution for
us “For forty years I loathed that generation and said, ‘they are a people
whose hearts go astray, and they do not regard my ways.’ And in very clear
words, “Therefore in my anger I swore, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’” And
there you have it. God’s anger at our refusal to honor our covenant and
recognize Him as our Lord and the maker of our universe. Live your life with
intentional faith, accepting and kneeling before God’s presence and grace, and
you will live with Him. That life is one filled with the peace and abundance
that only God can provide.
— Heather Smith
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