July 28, 2023 — Psalm 95

“O come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and the dry land, which his hands have formed. O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would listen to his voice! Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your ancestors tested me, and put me to the proof,  though they had seen my work. For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they do not regard my ways.” Therefore in my anger I swore, “They shall not enter my rest.” Psalm 95

Worship is to be time where every person can focus on G-d — G-d’s grace, love and greatness — and not on our own needs. Psalm 95 serves as the introduction to a series of Psalms devoted to the theme of worship and praise. As such, Psalm 95 has long been regarded as an invitation to worship. It has been a vital part of liturgies from ancient times. In fact, Psalm 95 is used in our worship hymnal for the Matins Service. This psalm helps the believer to reorient their thinking and practice concerning the vital matter of worship. It turns the  attention of the worshipper toward G-d.

Not all that many years ago, it was believed that the earth was the center of the universe. All of the planets were thought to revolve around the earth. Modern astronomy has shown this not to be true — the sun is the center of our solar system — and the planets revolve around this star. This error in our understanding actually tells us a great deal about the thinking of humanity. We want to believe that everything revolves around us — we expect to be at the center of everything.

While we have come to grips with the fact that the sun is the center of our solar system, some Christians still think that the church should revolve around them. That allows these people to persist in thinking that G-d should work for them, rather than we are to be in the business of offering to G- emphasizing d prayer, praise and thanksgiving — for that is all we can offer G-d. We must fight the urge to blame G-d when adversity disrupts our lives. Worship is our opportunity to focus solely on thanking G-d for all of our blessings — and remember that the world, including G-d, does not revolve around us.

Prayer

God our maker, you guide us as the sheep of your fold. When we stray into rebellion and unbelief, bring us back and restore us, that we may follow your ways and listen to the voice of our shepherd who gives us eternal life, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.