Psalm 149
Praise for God’s Goodness to Israel
1 Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
2 Let Israel be glad in its Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.
3 Let them praise his name with dancing,
making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.
4 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with victory.
5 Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy on their couches.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats
and two-edged swords in their hands,
7 to execute vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with fetters
and their nobles with chains of iron,
9 to execute on them the judgment decreed.
This is glory for all his faithful ones.
Praise the Lord!
I have decided to name this “The Psalm of Praise for Online Worship!” Verse 5 sums it up: “…let them sing for joy on their couches!”
There has been a lot of stress, anxiety, worry, weariness, uncertainty, frustration and more the past six months. Yep, we started all this back in March. There are things we miss. There are activities and events we wonder if and when they may happen. We make new plans, but every time we put something on the calendar, we wonder if that will hold fast, or be rescheduled yet again. I encourage you to bring these to God in your worship and prayers.
In the midst of it all, can you find reasons to give thanks? Is there reason for dancing and making melodious music? Where is it you find joy today? Again, I encourage you to bring these to God in your worship and prayers.
The good news is that God is with us on the mountaintop and in the valley. God is with us in the great outdoors and in the closed confines. God is with us in the sanctuaries and the living rooms, in the pews or on the couches, in the brightest of sunshine and the darkness of the moonless night.
Yes, we long for the day when we can gather in our places of worship, but until then, let us join together in songs of joy (and sorrow) on our couches.
Let us pray:
We give you thanks, Almighty God, for your presence with us. May our worship be a sweet sound to your ear, from wherever it is we worship. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
