Day 142 – Psalm 95, 97-99

Talking Points

• These psalms praise God as our salvation, a great God, a great King, sovereign, Creator, the Shepherd, the Judge, the One who gives rest, Ruler, righteous, just, glorious, almighty, exalted, Deliverer, holy, victorious, merciful, faithful, awesome, and forgiving. Why wouldn’t we trust and praise such a God?
• Psalm 95 includes a warning for unbelief. It seems absurd that people would “harden” their hearts, rejecting the blessing of knowing God (95: 8).
• These songs of great praise are an awesome picture of the proper response to the greatness of God. Feel the momentum as you read through them. One might start to worship God in brokenness and sadness, but it is impossible to stay there! One line says, “Break forth and sing” (98:4). As we focus on God — who He is and His “wonderful things” — praise begins to well up within us, our hearts exult until they can no longer be contained, and songs and shouts of praise spring forth (98:1). Feel the words of these psalms: rejoicing, gladness, praise. The word for rejoice means to make lighter, to be merry, glad, joyful. The word for gladness means rejoicing and exultation. Praise is to lift up.
  
  Just reading through these verses, my heart mightily agrees! “Let us shout joyfully to Him” (95:2)! He is worthy!

Thoughts

One of my favorite promises of God is that of rest. Adam and Eve had it — they walked with God. When they trusted in themselves instead of Him, they left His rest, and thus began our longing for rest — for peace with God and rest from our labor.

From the Sabbath to the Promised Land of Canaan, and from the Cross to New Jerusalem, God has been offering His rest to those who would believe. Christ tells us that in Him, we find rest for our souls. What we won’t find anywhere else, we have promised in Him. What our souls long for, thirst for, hunger for, we find only in Him. It is an everlasting refreshment, an eternal satisfaction. It begins the moment we believe, grows as we trust Him more in our day-to-day lives, and will be perfect in glory. Comfort, quiet, permanent, perfect peace.

And, the beautiful thing is, it proceeds from Him, is provided through Him, and is promised by Him. All we have to do is rest in it! We rest in His rest. Incredible!

My faith has found a resting place,
Not in device or creed;
I trust the ever-living One,
His wounds for me shall plead.

I need no other argument,
I need no other plea,
It is enough that Jesus died,
And that He died for me.