Psalm 100
Reflection Written by Sheila Collins
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
When was the last time you shouted for joy?
Captured in my heart and stored in my memory from last year are these 2 personal stories. On a sunny summer’s day my small grandson momentarily lost sight of his family when he suddenly spotted me waving. Shouting his head off with joy and delight he scooted furiously on his balance bike towards to me, threw the bike down and flung out his arms for a hug.
The second is this. On entering the hallowed portals of the Theatre of Dreams I took my seat high up amongst hopeful strangers decked out in red. As the game progressed, the tension was tangible until, miraculously, the ball hit the back of the net. The explosion of spontaneous joyful noise was accompanied by 70000 people rising out of their seats, arms in the air, high fiving those closest, no longer strangers but delighted compatriots who, in those few moments, all understood the significance of what they had experienced.
Whilst the writer of Psalm 100, most likely David, didn’t know about balance bikes and football. He did know about delighting in the presence of God and encouraging the whole earth to sing joyful songs praising and worshipping God for his creation, his goodness, his enduring love and his continuing faithfulness. In fact this joyful psalm is the only psalm in the collection to bear the title Psalm of Thanksgiving.
My small grandson knows he is loved, he knows with whom he belongs, he knows that he can trust his family without question and is spontaneously joyful. The red decked 70000 rising out of their seats shared their experience together with gladness and joyful songs. These are very human expressions of joy and praise but are not just limited to the experience of small boys and football fans. The Psalmist goes beyond expressions of joy and enthusiasm. He exhorts all the earth to worship God with gladness because He is our creator and our shepherd. He is the only one worthy to receive the highest praise as we acknowledge that we know that the Lord is indeed God.
As we progress through the Psalm the writer pictures the people of God from all the earth entering together through the gates and into the courts of the temple. As God’s people approach, the Psalmist advises we should do so with thanksgiving, recognizing how much He has done for us.
The final 2 verses give three reasons for thanking and praising God. Firstly, He is good. He always does what is best for His children. Second, His love is enduring. This is a steadfast and everlasting love, Thirdly, God's faithfulness extends to all generations. He has never broken a promise, He has always been reliable and always will be reliable.
So when will be the next time you shout for joy? The red decked 70000 shared their common experience of joy together. The Psalmist said, ’Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise.’
Do you know you are loved? The Psalmist said, ‘God’s love endures forever.’
Do you know with whom you belong? The Psalmist said, ‘God made us and we are his, we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.’
Do you know that you can trust God without question? The Psalmist said, ‘God’s faithfulness continues through all generations.’
God loves you, we belong to Him and He can always be trusted. Worth shouting for joy this Lent? I think so!
Amen