Focus

Breathe in clear thoughts of peace and reflection as you prepare to hear God speak to you through the scripture and the writer. Put aside all the things the world says you have to accomplish today and use this time to rest in God’s presence.

---

Read

Psalm 92 (NRSV)

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

How great are your works, O LORD!
Your thoughts are very deep!
The dullard cannot know,
the stupid cannot understand this:
though the wicked sprout like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to destruction forever,
but you, O LORD, are on high forever.
For your enemies, O LORD,
for your enemies shall perish;
all evildoers shall be scattered.

But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;
you have poured over me fresh oil.
My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.

The righteous flourish like the palm tree,
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of the LORD;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
In old age they still produce fruit;
they are always green and full of sap,
showing that the LORD is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

---

Reflect

After reading Psalm 92, I sat at my desk to reflect upon the words of the psalmist and out of nowhere my voice broke out in a praise chorus that I learned at church camp when I was a teenager.

“Praise God, Praise God, Praise God in the Morning, Praise God at the noontime, Praise God, Praise God, Praise God until the sun goes down.”

As you read the opening verses of Psalm 92, try to picture the gathering of God’s people for worship. They were resting from their labors and entering into God’s presence on the sabbath, uniting their voices in praise to God. Their voices were expressing the gratitude of their hearts to a most high God. God’s people had discovered very early that worship is about ascribing praise and honor to God and not themselves.

Every Sunday when I gather with God’s people and we unite our voices in praise and adoration for God, God’s presence becomes real to me. There is just something transformational about a community of faith’s expressions of praise and honor to God through music and song. I am amazed how God is able to use music and song in such a powerful way. When you gather the next time with your community of faith, think about the words from Psalm 92: “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High.”

---

Pray

God, transform our lives in worship through music and song, fill our hearts with joy and praise. Amen.

Go with God.