Psalm 95 - Great God!

Psalm 95:1-4, 6-11 NIV

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;

 let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 

Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.

For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. 

In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;

 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.

Today, if only you would hear his voice,

 “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,

 as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,

 where your ancestors tested me; they tried me,

 though they had seen what I did. 

For forty years I was angry with that generation;

 I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,

 and they have not known my ways.’ 

So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ”

Psalm 95 is a call to worship. The psalm summons the people to sing with joy, to shout, to give thanks, to bow and kneel, and to hear.

The psalm gives reasons for the call to worship. God is the Rock of our salvation. It all begins and ends with Him. He is the foundation and our shelter. God is King above all other so called gods. Yahweh is the great God. He is creator. All the earth, the mighty mountains and its vast seas, are His possession. He's got the whole world on His hands, as the old song goes. Not only is God the Maker, Israel is the flock under His care. The Lord watches over them like a faithful shepherd. They have no want.

What are the reasons you worship God?

Often we make worship about ourselves, our preferences. Worship is not meant for our sole benefit, even though we do benefit. Worship is primarily a service to God. We gather to give God what He deserves. Because of who God is and what He has done and continues to do, we owe The Lord honor, glory and praise.

The psalm calls upon the people to not harden their hearts if they hear God's voice. Allow your heart to be instructed and molded by the Lord's hand. Just as God fashioned the earth, God is shaping His people through worship, the proclamation of His deeds, the celebration of God's faithfulness. The people are warned not to be stiff necked like their ancestors in the wilderness. They would not learn to trust God and follow in His ways. As a result they all perished in the desert, never entering the Promised Land.
The words of the Lord to the people warns them that if they harden their hearts they will never enter into His rest.

How do you keep from falling to the same fate? Keep your heart from straying by giving your heart to God in worship. Worship daily through prayer, praise, and pouring over His word. Worship weekly on the Lord's Day with all who gather to give God His due. Worship privately and publicly. Worship humbly in silence and boldly in shouts of joy. Then you will find rest with the Great Shepherd of our souls. You will enjoy shelter in the Rock of ages.

Come let us worship the Lord for He is the great God!