Sing praises

Dressed in Joy

Posted on by Betsy

Did you know that John Wesley wrote seven specific instructions about how to sing? You can find them in the beginning of the United Methodist Hymnal. His directives include things like learning hymns before other types of songs, singing in time with those around you every chance you get, and singing spiritually by focusing your attention on God. The list is an outline for Wesley’s theology of the methodical aspect of Methodism. But my favorite is number four, which commands us to not sing as though we are half dead:

IV. Sing lustily and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, than when you sung the songs of Satan.

Lusty singing might have been on David’s mind when he penned Psalm 30. This psalm was a celebration for the dedication of David’s palace and is a lyrical statement of God’s intervening love for David over the course of David’s life. In this moment of dedicating the elaborate palace built on a hill in Jerusalem, David rightfully gave God all the credit for his successes and survival.

Psalm 30 (Common English Bible)

30 I exalt you, Lord, because you pulled me up;
    you didn’t let my enemies celebrate over me.
2 Lord, my God, I cried out to you for help,
    and you healed me.
3 Lord, you brought me up from the grave,
    brought me back to life from among those going down to the pit.

4 You who are faithful to the Lord,
    sing praises to him;
    give thanks to his holy name!
5 His anger lasts for only a second,
    but his favor lasts a lifetime.
Weeping may stay all night,
    but by morning, joy!

Have you ever wept all night, exhausted with grief? I have. And yet as I sit here and write this, I am okay. Morning may not follow exactly 6-8 hours after weeping all night, but eventually a morning of joy will return, even as we carry that grief in a small place in our hearts. What joy to know that God brings comfort in the morning of our mourning!

6 When I was comfortable, I said,
    “I will never stumble.”
7 Because it pleased you, Lord,
    you made me a strong mountain.
But then you hid your presence.
    I was terrified.
8 I cried out to you, Lord.
    I begged my Lord for mercy:
9 “What is to be gained by my spilled blood,
    by my going down into the pit?
Does dust thank you?
    Does it proclaim your faithfulness?
10 Lord, listen and have mercy on me!
    Lord, be my helper!”

Our relationship with God can change with comfort. When we are satisfied with life, it is easy to take God and all God’s benefits for granted. I was describing a wicked bout of flu with a friend, and he remarked, “I realize when I am that sick that I take a normal day of good health for granted.” That stuck with me, so every morning I wake up and feel okay I try to praise God that I’m not sick. But discomfort quickly brings out my need for God’s intervention, as it did with David.

11 You changed my mourning into dancing.
    You took off my funeral clothes
        and dressed me up in joy
12     so that my whole being
    might sing praises to you and never stop.
Lord, my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

God can change our mourning into dancing. Our funeral clothes can be removed so that we are dressed in joy. God does this so that our whole being can sing praises and never stop. Or, as John Wesley prescribed, so that we can “sing lustily.”

So go and be lusty today! Sing of God’s goodness to all who will hear.

Sing a Song of Gladness by Michelle Robertson

Clap Your Hands

Posted on by Betsy

     One of the joys of raising babies is teaching them simple forms of expression. When a baby can imitate smiling, waving, and clapping, you know they are on their way toward higher forms of communication.

     I play the “clappity clap clap” game with my grandbabies and I love to sing and clap with them. They take this skill into other places, and soon learn to clap when food is presented, when a sibling is being silly, or when they simply are happy. Our youngest set of twins are almost one, and I can envision that joyful first birthday party with its colorful balloons, their first messy bites of cake, and a lot of clapping … mostly by me.

     Why don’t we clap more? Clapping is a natural response to something that feels good. We clap and shout at football games, at the end of a great theater performance, and when the bad guy gets caught in a movie, but many of us were taught that clapping and shouting in church are things we shouldn’t do.

     I think the Scriptures say otherwise. Today’s reading starts with the direction to “Clap your hands, all you people!” It could hardly be clearer than this! The psalm was written for the music leader and the sons of Korah, who were Levite priests. We can assume that this joyful song of victory was presented in the tabernacle and temple ceremonies as victories were being celebrated. Thus the people of God were invited to clap, shout, and sing in the context of worship.

Psalm 47


Clap your hands, all you people!
    Shout joyfully to God with a joyous shout!
2 Because the Lord Most High is awesome,
    he is the great king of the whole world.
3 He subdues the nations under us,
    subdues all people beneath our feet.
4 He chooses our inheritance for us:
    the heights of Jacob, which he loves. Selah

5 God has gone up with a joyous shout—
    the Lord with the blast of the ram’s horn.
6 Sing praises to God! Sing praises!
    Sing praises to our king! Sing praises
7     because God is king of the whole world!
    Sing praises with a song of instruction!

8 God is king over the nations.
    God sits on his holy throne.
9 The leaders of all people are gathered
    with the people of Abraham’s God
    because the earth’s guardians belong to God;
        God is exalted beyond all.

     Worship should always be a joyful experience. In verses 6 and 7 the phrase “sing praise” is used five times, just so we get the point. We have so much to celebrate! God is the king over all the earth. God has subdued the nations under Israel. God sits on the holy throne and reigns from on high. Everyone and everything belongs to God.

     How easy it is to see the messianic prophecy in this psalm, and easier still to see Jesus as the fulfillment. Jesus went up with a “joyous shout” (verse 5) at his ascension and will come again to be “king over the nations” (verse 8). For this alone, we rejoice.

     I think worship should feel like a child’s first birthday party. Noise makers, hand clapping, singing, and joy should be a part of our experience whenever we gather together as God’s assembly. Every week!

     How do you worship? Do you go into a service with anticipatory joy or a sense of obligation? Do you feel the pure happiness that comes from being in God’s presence, or are you distracted by your worries as you sit down?

     We are invited to praise God with joy. God is worthy of our praise! We can’t praise enough.

Sing Praise by Michelle Robertson

Sing-A-Song

Posted on by Betsy

I belong to a clergywomen’s Face Book page and a question was asked recently about planning a Lessons and Carols service for Advent. It caught me a little off guard, as I haven’t even started to think about Thanksgiving dinner yet, but as you know, pastors have to be thinking way ahead. I have always loved Lessons and Carols, as it tells the nativity story in alternating Scripture readings and hymns. It is a full audience participation kind of thing, and when I say it tells the story, it begins in Genesis with a reminder of why we needed Jesus in the first place.

It wasn’t very long ago that we couldn’t even sing in the sanctuary together due to pandemic protocols, and so singing is a blessing that we have learned not to take for granted anymore. After months of online worship and then months of no congregational singing as we cautiously worshipped in masks with an aim of reducing potential viral transmission, we finally arrived at that wonderful Sunday where singing was permitted.

I wept that day.

Singing has always been an important part of worship for me. I grew up in a singing family, and we sang together in perfect harmony on every long car ride. My father sang in a Barbershop Chorus right up until the day he died, and my parents funded six years of private voice lessons for me in order to encourage a singing lifestyle as I grew up.

Today’s psalm encourages us to SING. We are invited to sing a new song and tell of God’s loyal love and faithfulness through every generation.

Psalm 98 (Common English Bible)

Sing to the Lord a new song
    because he has done wonderful things!
His own strong hand and his own holy arm
    have won the victory!
2 The Lord has made his salvation widely known;
    he has revealed his righteousness
    in the eyes of all the nations.
3 God has remembered his loyal love
    and faithfulness to the house of Israel;
    every corner of the earth has seen our God’s salvation.

The level of joy in this psalm is off the charts. The psalmist encourages us to shout triumphantly, rejoice, be happy, and praise God.

4 Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth!
    Be happy!
    Rejoice out loud!
    Sing your praises!
5 Sing your praises to the Lord with the lyre—
    with the lyre and the sound of music.
6 With trumpets and a horn blast,
    shout triumphantly before the Lord, the king!

Even the sounds of creation are invited to sing along:

7 Let the sea and everything in it roar;
    the world and all its inhabitants too.
8 Let all the rivers clap their hands;
    let the mountains rejoice out loud altogether 9 before the Lord
    because he is coming to establish justice on the earth!
He will establish justice in the world rightly;
    he will establish justice among all people fairly.

The promise that God will establish justice in the world is enough to sing about. What does that mean to you? Are you weary of politics, wars, strife, and disobedience? Are you worn out with everything?

Today’s psalm is the perfect antidote to our ennui. When you’re feeling overwhelmed with life, do one thing: just sing.

Sing a New Song by Michelle Robertson

From the Mouths of Babes

Posted on by Betsy

Last week I received prayer concerns for several babies who had been born too early. A clergy friend asked for prayer for her granddaughter, who was born by emergency C-section at 33 weeks. A church member asked for prayer for a cousin’s baby, who was born weighing just over five pounds and requires surgery. Seeing pictures of newborns fully hooked up in the neonatal intensive care unit brought back memories of my twin grandchildren, who spent the first two weeks of their lives in a NICU. Today, they are thriving, healthy, ORNERY four-year-olds and I pray that every baby on our prayer list ends up just like them. Please Lord, make it so!

I had just finished praying for these babies when I read today’s lectionary passage from the book of Psalms. Look for David’s reference to babies:

Psalm 8 (New King James Version)

O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens!

2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants, God has ordained strength. What a wonderful concept! Can you imagine these tiny babies singing praises to God as they receive the tender care and ministrations of well-trained intensive care nurses and doctors? The beauty of this passage takes my breath away. As they lie there with their eyes taped shut, ventilators helping them breath, feeding tubes down their noses providing sustenance, and multiple monitors strapped to their little chests, they are busy singing praises to their God as they wait. Oh, my, yes!

David continues his own words of praise as he contemplates God’s creation:

3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
4 What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

As we wait through life’s trials and tribulations, we can sing praises to God regardless of the situation, hardship, challenge, or threat that we face. We are ordained with strength! God has made us just a little lower than the angels. All life is precious in God’s sight, and we are crowned with glory and honor.

This undeserved status is a gift from the One who told the stars and the moon where to sit. We are so loved by God.

6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
7 All sheep and oxen—
Even the beasts of the field,
8 The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.

And with this crowning of glory comes responsibility for the works of God’s hand. We must care for God’s creatures. We must care for God’s earth. We must do everything we can to ensure that the tiny babies have clean air, unpolluted seas, and a healthy planet to raise their own babies. It is our job to take care of the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. How are we doing?

How will you respond to this today? Will you pray for the tiny babies? Will you change your habits to ensure a healthy world? Will you support your local SPCA?

God’s name is over all of the earth, from the smallest baby to the biggest whale in the sea. May all life rise up and sing praises to his name!

9 O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth!

The Paths of the Seas by Michelle Robertson

Let the Seas Roar

Posted on by Betsy

One of the absolute joys of living on the Outer Banks is the constant presence of water. Canals, inlets, sounds, bays, creeks, and of course the magnificent ocean surround us with beauty and song. As I was driving to my office last week, I glanced in my rear view mirror and there it was…I could see the dunes, the sea oats, and the ocean itself as I headed west to my church. Sheer glory! Water, water, everywhere.

I remember standing out in the church parking lot after an evening worship service when I first moved here and hearing an unusual sound. It was a kind of dull roar or constant wooooshing sound that I couldn’t quite place. It was the ocean. A storm was coming in and we could hear it from a mile away. I had never heard the ocean at the church before and I was struck by the beauty of the sound that evening. The noisy bypass that lies between the church and the beach usually obliterates the sound of the crashing waves, but not that night.

When all of creation sings of the majesty and the power of God, we need to listen.

Psalm 98 (New King James Version)

Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!
For He has done marvelous things;
His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.
2 The Lord has made known His salvation;
His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

God is worthy of our songs and shouts of joy! He is the giver of every marvelous thing and has brought salvation by his holy arm. His faithfulness to his people is an opera of his great works on our behalf. We owe him our rejoicing and our praise songs.

4 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;
Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.
5 Sing to the Lord with the harp,
With the harp and the sound of a psalm,
6 With trumpets and the sound of a horn;
Shout joyfully before the Lord, the King.

So bring out the trumpets, the harps, and the horns! The Lord reigns, and his kingdom lasts forever. Even the sea roars in anticipation of his coming. The rivers clap their hands and the hills dance in his presence. Praise the Lord!

7 Let the sea roar, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell in it;
8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
Let the hills be joyful together
9     before the Lord,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
With righteousness He shall judge the world,
And the peoples with equity.

Sing joyfully to the Lord, all the earth! Let us praise the Lord.

The Seas Roar by Michelle Robertson

How Pleasant

Posted on by Betsy

I am in Florida as I write this, and the “real feel temperature” is 36 degrees. What the heck? Part of my reason for being here is to visit family and enjoy long runs in perfect temperatures. If I wanted to run in 36 degree weather I could have stayed home. Plus the winds are almost 20 MPH. NOT pleasant indeed.

Think of the things you experience that bring instant pleasure. A great cup of morning coffee, the sound of a friend’s voice in unexpected phone call, a soft, fluffy blanket, the snore of a big yellow Lab who lies contentedly in the sun at your feet….these things are pleasant.

Today we are going to listen to a psalmist talk about pleasant things. I find that in the midst of things that are wholly unpleasant (politics, news, the pandemic, math equations) it is good to take a moment to consider something pleasant. Maybe the yellow Lab has figured something out.

According to Psalm 147, it is pleasant to praise God:

Psalm 147 (New International Version)

Praise the Lord.

How good it is to sing praises to our God,
    how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

We could just stop there. Praising God does many things for us. It takes our focus away from our troubles. It ushers us into his presence. It benefits us by bringing sunlight into our present darkness. But most of all, it is good and fitting to praise him because he deserves it.

The Psalmist goes on to explain why:

2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
    he gathers the exiles of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
    and binds up their wounds.

We praise God because he brings all of us out of exile and back home again. We praise him because he heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Are you broken hearted today? Are you wounded by someone’s words, actions, betrayals, or dismissal of you?

Praise him anyway.

4 He determines the number of the stars
    and calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
    his understanding has no limit.
6 The Lord sustains the humble
    but casts the wicked to the ground.

This Psalm echoes Isaiah 40 by reminding us that God numbers and names the stars. He also numbers and names his people.

7 Sing to the Lord with grateful praise;
    make music to our God on the harp.

8 He covers the sky with clouds;
    he supplies the earth with rain
    and makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He provides food for the cattle
    and for the young ravens when they call.

Everything around us is a gift from God. His care and provision are extended even to the young ravens.

10 His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
    nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
11 the Lord delights in those who fear him,
    who put their hope in his unfailing love.

The invitation today is to put your hope in God’s unfailing love. Your strength and your self-reliance will never be enough. But with God, you have everything you need. Praise be to God!

Reflections of Praise by Kathy Schumacher

Pandemic Promises

Posted on by Betsy

Think back to everything you know about God’s promises. Perhaps you can even claim a time in your life when you were the beneficiary of one of his promises. The list is endless.

For me, the biggest promise made in the Bible is when Jesus told us that he would never leave us. He explained to his disciples that he was simply going ahead to prepare a place in heaven for us and then reminded them (and us) at his departure that he is always with us “even unto the ends of the earth.”

This morning’s Psalm is a great reminder of an Old Testament promise that God made to us after the Great Flood. You may remember from your Sunday School lessons that when the flood waters receded, Noah saw a rainbow in the sky. God explained that he put it there as a reminder of his promise that he would never again destroy the earth.

Hold that thought in your heart as we read Psalm 105. This Psalm recounts the miraculous delivery of the Hebrew nation through the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army close at their heels. God delivered them from slavery and deposited them in the Promised Land. He lived up to his earlier promise that they would not be destroyed.

What promise can we claim from this in regard to the pandemic?

Psalm 105 (New Revised Standard Version)

O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,
    make known his deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him;
    tell of all his wonderful works.
3 Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4 Seek the Lord and his strength;
    seek his presence continually.

I hope that the pandemic has brought us enough of a “pause” as we’ve followed stay-at-home orders to seek the Lord and his strength. This has been something I have tried to do in my personal discipleship….to seek his presence continually. How are you doing with that?

5 Remember the wonderful works he has done,
    his miracles, and the judgments he has uttered,
6 O offspring of his servant Abraham,
    children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

Then he brought Israel out with silver and gold,
    and there was no one among their tribes who stumbled.
38 Egypt was glad when they departed,
    for dread of them had fallen upon it.

Egypt was GLAD when they left! The might of the Lord was so great, they were relieved to be rid of Israel from their land. God provided light, food, and water for his people in the desert.

39 He spread a cloud for a covering,
    and fire to give light by night.
40 They asked, and he brought quails,
    and gave them food from heaven in abundance.
41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
    it flowed through the desert like a river.
42 For he remembered his holy promise,
    and Abraham, his servant.

43 So he brought his people out with joy,
    his chosen ones with singing.

What does this say to us, a pandemic people? It tells us that this time of sickness WILL END. It reminds us of God’s mighty power to deliver US, his people. It reassures us that at the appointed time the virus will be wiped clean from the earth and the pandemic will be over. Thanks be to God!

God always remembers his holy promises. Let us come out with joy and sing to the Lord.

God Keeps His Promises

Secret Decoders

Posted on by Betsy

There is a fun scene in the movie A Christmas Story where young Ralphie has finally received his secret decoder wheel after sending in the required amount of Ovaltine labels. This will help him decipher an important message from Little Orphan Annie that just might save the world! He works the decoder feverishly while locked in the bathroom. As the letters and words emerge, his sense of purpose grows with each turn of the dial. Finally the message appears!

“Be sure to drink your Ovaltine.”

It is a sadder and wiser Ralphie that slowly re-enters the world, having experienced his first bait-and-switch “crummy commercial.” How disappointing!

I must confess I feel this way every time I click onto what looks to be a good article and discover that it is flooded with advertisements that blink on and off like the Vegas strip at midnight. I clicked on a news article on the west coast wildfires and was instantly inundated with ads for Zulilly, Wayfair, and something called Bud Light Seltzer. Is that even a thing?

The neat thing about today’s Psalm is that it takes a kind of decoder ring to get the full message. It is one of eight alphabetic acrostic psalms in the Bible and there is possibly some hidden meaning not only in its content, but in its form.

Alphabetic acrostics go through the Hebrew alphabet with the first letter of the first word of each line in alphabetical order. The “secret message” of a psalm that goes from A to Z (or more correctly, Aleph to Taw) suggests a completeness and wholeness that points to our relationship with God. The secret message in its form says that with God we are UNBROKEN.

In more practical terms, a psalm written in alphabetic acrostic is also easier to memorize.

Keeping in mind that the decoded message is “You are complete and unbroken,” read this psalm and think about what is missing in your walk today that needs to be filled in so that you might feel whole.

Psalm 145 (Common English Bible)

I will lift you up high, my God, the true king.
    I will bless your name forever and always.
2 I will bless you every day.
    I will praise your name forever and always.
3 The Lord is great and so worthy of praise!
    God’s greatness can’t be grasped.

Do you bless and praise God forever and always, or only on the good days?

4 One generation will praise your works to the next one,
    proclaiming your mighty acts.
5 They will talk all about the glorious splendor of your majesty;
    I will contemplate your wondrous works.
6 They will speak of the power of your awesome deeds;
    I will declare your great accomplishments.

7 They will rave in celebration of your abundant goodness;
    they will shout joyfully about your righteousness.

8     The Lord is merciful and compassionate,
    very patient, and full of faithful love.

Remind yourself of this truth if you are feeling broken this morning.

9 The Lord is good to everyone and everything;
    God’s compassion extends to all his handiwork!”
10 All that you have made gives thanks to you, Lord;
    all your faithful ones bless you!
11 They speak of the glory of your kingdom;
    they talk all about your power,
12     to inform all human beings about God’s power
    and the majestic glory of God’s kingdom.

When you got up this morning, did you remember God’s compassion?

13 Your kingdom is a kingship that lasts forever;
    your rule endures for all generations.
The Lord is trustworthy in all that he says,
    faithful in all that he does.
14 The Lord supports all who fall down,
    straightens up all who are bent low.
15 All eyes look to you, hoping,
    and you give them their food right on time,
16     opening your hand
    and satisfying the desire of every living thing.

And let us not forget that God provides!

17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways,
    faithful in all his deeds.
18 The Lord is close to everyone who calls out to him,
    to all who call out to him sincerely.
19 God shows favor to those who honor him,
    listening to their cries for help and saving them.
20 The Lord protects all who love him,
    but he destroys every wicked person.
21 My mouth will proclaim the Lord’s praise,
    and every living thing will bless God’s holy name
        forever and always.

Make your day complete by contemplating these things. I know it’s long (all 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet-long) but read it again. God will fill in your empty spaces with his presence and the glorious splendor of his majesty. From A to Z, God’s goodness is everlasting, and with him you are unbroken.

Unbroken by Wende Pritchard

Dwelling

Posted on by Betsy

What is your mind dwelling on right now? Are you overcome with politics and campaigns? Are the pandemic’s daily death numbers, unemployment, quarantine, and imposing restrictions plaguing your thoughts? Perhaps it is your financial situation, or the daily struggle of remote learning, or maybe the hurricane season that has you preoccupied.

One of the challenges we all face in our discipleship is setting aside our day-to-day worries and aggravations so that we can allow space for God’s word to filter in. It is a struggle. It takes perseverance, discipline, and a plan.

A friend stopped me the other day and told me that she saves these devotionals to read on Sunday mornings. She gets up at sunrise, makes coffee, and walks to a sand dune where she can watch the sun come up over the ocean. She reads and worships in that setting. I was extremely blessed to know this. It occurs to me that she is able to spend time dwelling on God’s presence because she puts herself in a “dwelling” that is conducive to focusing.

Where are you right now? Are you in a quiet place that allows contemplation? Or are you surrounded by distraction? Changing our locale when we are studying scripture may just be the thing we need to really take it all in.

Psalm 105 (Common English Bible)

Give thanks to the Lord;
    call upon his name;
    make his deeds known to all people!
2 Sing to God;
    sing praises to the Lord;
    dwell on all his wondrous works!

Being able to dwell on God’s wonderful works makes a huge difference in how the rest of the day goes. Putting his mercy and grace foremost in our thoughts can change our perspective and attitude.

3 Give praise to God’s holy name!
    Let the hearts rejoice of all those seeking the Lord!
4 Pursue the Lord and his strength;
    seek his face always!

A day that starts with pursuing God and his strength is a day that moves in the right direction. When we remember his wondrous works and seek his face we find ourselves not looking to the world for direction and comfort. And that is a very good thing indeed.

5 Remember the wondrous works he has done,
    all his marvelous works, and the justice he declared—
6     you who are the offspring of Abraham, his servant,
        and the children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

God is a just God, a loving God, a GIVING God, and a powerful God. Dwell on that today and you will be blessed by the hour.

Dwelling in God’s Beauty by Michelle Robertson

Doxology

Posted on by Betsy

A doxology is a “lyrical expression of praise to God” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. In a worship service it provides a liturgical response to the presentation of the offering. Various forms of “Praise God from whom all blessings flow” have been sung in churches since the late 1600’s.

I once had a profound moment singing the doxology at a women’s retreat. We had gathered in the dining room and our music leader suggested we sing it a cappella as our grace before the meal. The harmonies blended beautifully in the room and it was a stunning offering to the Lord.

Psalm 67 is introduced as a doxology in one bible translation. That is fitting, as this brief psalm is a beautiful and lyrical praise chorus. It was written to the director of music “to be performed with string instruments.” We’ll get right on that as soon as we’re back in church!

Psalm 67 (New Revised Standard Version)

May God be gracious to us and bless us
    and make his face to shine upon us, Selah

This may sound familiar to you. It is part of the Aaronic blessing that appears in Numbers 6. The lovely phrase “make his face to shine upon us” is a word-picture that invokes an image of God’s joy in giving his blessing and his grace to a happy, responsive people.

2 that your way may be known upon earth,
    your saving power among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you.

The psalmist cleverly offers God a small incentive. If God will bestow his blessing on us, then the world will see and thus his way will be known on all the earth. That is kind of like promising to tithe if God would just make you win the lottery.

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
    for you judge the peoples with equity
    and guide the nations upon earth.Selah

God will judge the people with equity. That is an amazing thought. There is no hierarchy of sin according to this. There is no privilege, status, religious preference, or condition that will get you off easy. Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Catholics, atheists, etc. will be judged equally with all the people of the earth. Humbling, isn’t it?

5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you.

Praise is the appropriate response to all of God’s blessings. As the harvest of provision comes in the form of daily bread to us, let us join in singing our praises with all the creatures here below! For God indeed is worthy of our praise.

6 The earth has yielded its increase;
    God, our God, has blessed us.
7 May God continue to bless us;
    let all the ends of the earth revere him.

Amen.

Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow by Becca Ziegler