Thanks for being You! ∙

Thanks for being You! ∙

Come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. – Psalms 95:1

Psalms 100:1-5

 1 Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth!

 2 Worship the LORD with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy.

 3 Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.

 5 For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Gratitude Matters

Contemporary psychological inquiry has demonstrated that cultivating gratitude significantly enhances our outlook on life and often leads to positive outcomes. Gratitude promotes both physical and mental health, even in those struggling with emotional wellness challenges.

Research shows that practicing gratitude can help reduce negativity. It shifts our focus away from complaining and negative speech. Expressing thanks can also help reduce harmful emotions like resentment and envy, which often accompany negativity. This can, in turn, help mitigate detrimental self-reflection and introspection, potentially lessening the risk of depression.

What is gratitude?

Gratitude is a sense of appreciation that often naturally arises within us as we acknowledge and value the people and things in our lives. It is both a feeling and an attitude of appreciation. While it can emerge spontaneously, it can also be nurtured. How does one foster gratitude? By consciously acknowledging the good that has come into our lives. We recall, recognize, and focus on what we have instead of what we lack. This fleshes out the idea of “counting our blessings.”

This could include acknowledging personal achievements, the people who love and support us, the opportunities we’ve been given, our health, or simple everyday pleasures. The practice of “smelling the roses” often leads to increased feelings of gratitude, happiness, and contentment.

What factors erode gratitude from our core? Persistent desire for more, envy, cynicism, and self-centeredness are key contributors (Psychology Today).

The psalmist encourages all of the children of the King to approach their Father with vibrant joy and gratitude. This call to worship is not soft, timid, or diffident. It’s an exuberant shout, a joyful noise. Imagine that your favorite team is playing in the Super Bowl, and you have been gifted tickets. You are there waiting for your favorite team to be introduced and take the field. As they finally appear, the stadium erupts in a deafening roar of excitement. That’s the essence of a joyful noise!

Psalms 100:1 Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth!

The Hebrew word translated as joyful noise, shout joyfully, or shout with joy is rua. Rua means to make a loud noise, to cry out with a loud voice. Rua is commonly linked to the scene of a battlefield. The sound, often a booming echo produced by a human voice or possibly a trumpet or musical horn, typically serves as a signal. A rua was to shout a war cry, sound the signal for battle, or shout in triumph or victory. This exuberant sound is usually an expression of triumph, a response to a successfully won battle and attained victory.

The psalmist isn’t summoning us to engage in a battle. Instead, he is inviting us to rejoice over the victories and triumphs that the Father has bestowed upon us and promises for our future. This is an invitation to a lively, spirited celebration expressed through profound, heartfelt thankfulness and gratitude.

What does Psalms 100 commemorate? It primarily celebrates the Father’s sovereignty. He is the mastermind and architect of all creation. Every child of the King is the sheep of His pasture, illustrating His tender and nurturing care. His boundless generosity and kindness are emphasized, along with His never-ending love that endures forever. Other is recognized as the epitome of absolute dependability.

Psalms 100:3 Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Our praises are not to be spoken. They are to be shouted in song like we really mean it.

Imagine a US Marine DI (drill instructor) seeking a lively, loud shout from his recruits. He screams, “Semper Fi, do or die.” They shout back, “Oh yeah.” He says I can’t hear you. They shout louder, “Oh yeah.” He responds I can’t hear you. They shout even louder, “Oh yeah.”

Sing your heart out, shout for joy.

The Father is looking for a few good men and women to celebrate His triumphal excellence!

Psalms 100:5 For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

REFLECT & PRAY

“God is the Shepherd; we are His flock. God is the Creator; we are His creations. God is the Father; we are His children” (Stanley).

Father, thank you for being You! Thank You for all the wonderful things You are, the wonderful things You do, and the beautiful things You do for me!

INSIGHT

Psalms 100:4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.

The Father is calling upon all children of the King to engage in worship and praise. They are uniquely privileged to experience a profound spiritual joy that flows from their relationship with the Father. Such spiritual joy only comes through knowing the Father. Spiritual joy is expressed through exuberant songs, shouts of praise, and expressions of thanksgiving.

David showed the way and served as an example of vibrant, spirited joy and thanksgiving, born out of his intimate knowledge and relationship with the Father. He had successfully recovered the Ark of the Covenant from the Philistines and was in the process of returning it to Jerusalem.

In celebration of this achievement and as a sign of his deep appreciation and reverence for the Father, David fully immersed himself in the festivities. His wife, Michal, however, perceived his uninhibited joy as foolishness. She thought he was out of his mind. Yet, David was undeterred by her criticism and danced into the night, leaping and rejoicing.

Michal confronted him, accusing him of indecency and conduct unbefitting of a king. She thought he was being lewd and disgraceful. David responded by saying, in essence, “You ain’t seen nothing yet,” I will go to any length to celebrate before the Father. He was willing to look even more foolish than what Michal had seen that day. He was ready to be humiliated in his own eyes (2 Samuel 6:22).

His dance was dedicated solely to the Father. David was not concerned about what other people might think about his exuberance and joyful expression.

“When the Lord’s presence makes us joyful, serving Him becomes an untroubled joy. Only when one takes no pleasure in God does serving Him seem like a chore and a burden” (Stanley).

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© Dr. H 2024