Young People's Group

MAKE A JOYFUL SHOUT TO GOD (I)

by Pastor Mitch
August 12, 2012

Praising God With A Heart Full Of Joy

Great joy should characterize our worship towards the Lord. When we think about the works of God, joy should fill our heart as we sing to Him. This was what the Psalmist exhorted all the people of the earth to do.

“Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!
Sing out the honor of His name;
Make His praise glorious.” 
Psalm 66:1-2

Everybody is meant to give joyful praise to the Lord. We are called to sing out the honor of the Lord’s most wonderful name. God’s name represents all that He is, what He has done and will do. All of us must choose to give great glory to His magnificent name. We must endeavor to do this because He deserves nothing less. God wants us to have hearts that are deeply appreciative of Him and His awesome works. Let’s choose not to complain about the challenges of life. When our hearts are full of appreciation, we can and must respond to Him by giving Him praise that is truly glorious.

Depth Of Appreciation Of The Awesomeness Of God’s Works

The Psalmist dwelt on the awesomeness of the Lord’s work.

1. God’s Past Awesome Works

“Come and see the works of God;
He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.
He turned the sea into dry land;
They went through the river on foot.” 
Psalm 66:5-6

The Psalmist sent out an invitation for the people to come and appreciate the works of God. He recalled how the Lord opened up the Red Sea for the people of Israel to walk through (Exodus 14:21). He also remembered how the river of Jordan was stopped from flowing downstream during the times of Joshua and the armies of Israel were able to march on dry ground (Joshua 3:16). Truly, these were awesome deeds of the Lord in the past.

2. God’s Future Awesome Works

“Say to God,
‘How awesome are your works!
Through the greatness of Your power
Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.
All the earth shall worship You
And sing praises to You;
They shall sing praise to Your name.'” 
Psalm 66:3-4

The Psalmist was also to see into the future. He recognized how one day all the nations of the earth would come and submit before the Lord in the Millennium Kingdom. All the earth will sing praise to the Lord’s name. All the nations of the earth will go up to Jerusalem and they will worship the King. And those who did not worship the King would be dealt with (Zechariah 14:16-19). All, including those rebellious nations, will submit to God. Truly how awesome is this future work of the Lord!

Determining To Rejoice In The Lord

“There we will rejoice in Him.” 
Psalm 66:6

The Psalmist determined in his heart that he and others would rejoice in the Lord. Our hearts should be filled with awe and wonder at our Lord for who He is to us, what He has done for us and what He will do for us in the future. Let’s also seek to reflect on the Lord’s awesome work He has done in Bethany. We thank God that in Bethany we can also see the Lord’s power at work in the lives of His people. We see how awesome is His doing towards Bethany’s ministries. May we offer to Him joyful praise. Let’s truly rejoice in the Lord as we celebrate our anniversary.

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