SING A NEW SONG

Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise His name; proclaim His salvation day after day. Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary. Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering and come into His courts.  Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth.  Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.” The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity. Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for He comes, He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.  

Psalm 96:1-2, 6-10, 13  (see also 1 Chronicles 16:23-33)    

Did you ever just have one of those days when nothing seemed to go right?  Our prayers on these days might sound something like, “God, are You really in control?”    

This psalm offers a resounding answer: yes—our God reigns!  He calls us to lift up a new song.  A new song implies leaving behind the “old song,” the one centered on ourselves, our struggles and our lack of control.  Instead, the new song celebrates His salvation, His greatness and His works.  It proclaims His glory among the nations and His marvelous deeds among the people.  

The psalm declares that the Lord is great—indeed, the Greatest.  There is none above Him.  When life feels unstable, His greatness steadies us.  His majesty draws our focus away from anxiety and back to His sovereign rule.  

THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS  

We are reminded to tremble before Him because the Lord reigns over all!  If He truly is Lord of our lives, then our trust must rest in Him and not in ourselves.   

Remember the old song that I was singing before?  That song was about me.  It was about my problems, my worries, my struggles, and how my life was out of control.  The new song is about God, about His greatness and how much control He has over my heart.  I think perhaps I sometimes revert to singing the old song every once in a while.  When I do, God will remind me that I am not in control and this life is not about me.  I should allow Him to recenter my heart on Him.    

Lord, You are righteous and faithful.  You alone are holy, and You alone reign over all the earth. Guide me today with strength and courage to surrender to Your will.  Lift my heart to sing a new song that exalts Your greatness and declares Your salvation. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.