Psalm 92:1-3 - September 14, 2009

Ps 92:1-3 "It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, 2 to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, 3 to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp." NIV

The heading over this psalm in the scriptures is “a song for the Sabbath day.” The Sabbath is that day within the life of the people of God that is set apart exclusively for rest and worship. We are called by the principles of the world to turn aside from our business, from our work so that we can focus our lives on God and God alone. How many anxieties would be relieved if God’s people would habitually turn aside from both work and worry to worship and give thanks to the Lord? In our generation many people turn aside from work and enjoy a day of rest but the missing ingredient for a truly restorative process is to turn aside “to” God, not just “from” work! The word does not just command us to rest from our labors it invites us to enjoy the refreshing impact of spending a day enjoying the Lord.
“I’m too busy” you may say. The Lord was prepared for the reality that our sense of responsibility pulls at us with such force that we feel pressure to keep going. That is the point! The Sabbath is the day that we unplug the pressure valve and release all of those built up emotions into the hand of the Lord. God, knowing our tendencies, also gives counsel in His Word to help us enjoy the Sabbath more fully. He instructs His people to prepare for the Sabbath. Do you prepare for your day of rest, so that it truly becomes a day of rest? The Israelites were told to prepare their food the day before and to give rest to their animals as well. This principle calls to us to clear a path through our schedule consistently so that we are able to enjoy time with the Lord. There is healing power waiting in the place of rest. There is inner renewal waiting in the place of worship.
The Psalmist is celebrating this reality as he states “It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name.” It is good for God and good for us! When we worship we build the bridge between our heart and God’s heart. When we praise we declare the great things that God has done and impact both the realms of the Spirit and the state of our soul as the confession of God’s mighty deeds builds up our own faith. Consider the application of the psalmist’s words. It is good to praise the Lord… “to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.” Imagine the redemptive impact of starting every day with a proclamation of the Love of God! Declare before the heavens and the earth, before angels and demons, before trials and blessings… “I am loved by God, with a love that has no end, with a love that I cannot be separated from!” Oh, the impact upon our hearts of ending the day with a celebration of God’s faithfulness rather than stress of complaint over the events of the day. “God you have been good to me. Thank you that you are faithfully working in my life even when I can’t see it!” Now turn these things into a new song! It is good to praise and to make music to the Nam of the Lord! This is not just for the musicians! This is for all lovers of God! Lift your voice! And declare His praise. It will bless you and bless Him!