Psalm 95

 Psalm 95 "O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;  Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms." 

This psalm leads us into true worship.  We sing TO Him, we shout with joy TO Him.. we come with thankful hearts before Him!  Our thoughts, our attitudes, and our words are addressed to Him.. "For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods.. " 

How great is God?  He holds "the depths of the earth."  He made the sea.. and it is His.  He formed the land that we stand on and the mountains that we gaze upon with wonder.  He is our Maker too!

"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." 

In a world that denies that there is any god.. or claims a false god.. or gives honor to an idol of wood, stone, or whatever.. we can make a simple, but powerful proclamation.. WE have a God.. a God who is the only True God.. the Maker of heaven and earth.. the One who made us.  The One who chooses to receive us to Himself.  

"Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.. "  Israel did.  They got things backwards.. they put God on trial.. Isaiah said it this way.. " You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay, that what is made should say to its maker, 'He did not make me'; or what is formed say to him who formed it, 'He has no understanding'? ( Isaiah 29:16)

Because of this.. this unbelief.. this rebellion.. this wanting to go their own way and not God's way.. a whole generation of Israel never entered the promised land.  "Truly they shall not enter into My rest, " the Lord swore to them.. and they never did. 

The book of Hebrews shows us that this applies to all.. not just to a group of Israelites in the wilderness. Disobedience.. unbelief.. hardened hearts.. still prevent people from entering into the Lord's rest.  "Let us be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through following the same example of disobedience." the writer exhorts, "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do."  ( Hebrews 4:11-13)

Isaiah's message in chapter 29 addressed those whose hearts were far from God, though they gave Him "lip service".  They thought they could hide the dark plans and conceal their wicked thoughts from Him.  The psalmist and the writer of Hebrews remind us that nothing is hidden from Him and that instead of foolishly thinking we are greater than our God who made us.. who holds our every breath in His hands.. we must come.. "kneel before the Lord our Maker".. and worship.. in spirit and in truth. 

Father in heaven, we sing and shout with joy, for You are the great and mighty God.. the Maker of heaven and earth.. our God.. our Maker.  We do not wish to have any hardness in our hearts.. any darkness in our thoughts.. so we come to kneel before You.  We are so thankful for  Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, who has interceded for us.. who has offered Himself in our place so that we might come boldly.. "with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."  O how we need You!  Every moment and every hour, we are in need of Your Presence. Fill us, Lord, with Your Spirit, to guide us in Your ways.. that we might not "err in [our] hearts" as Israel did in the wilderness.  Keep us in Your abundant love and power we pray.. in Jesus' name. Amen.