Artwork Credit: gracewalkministries.blogspot.com
Editor’s Note: We continue our series of blogs for those who are reading the Bible with us cover-to-cover this year. Interspersed with our thoughts on our daily reading, we want to provide some tips about reading the Bible in general.
Psalms: God has always been on the throne and He still reigns! (Book 4)
We continue to state that the Psalms are, in reality, the words to the praise and worship songs of the long ago nation of Israel. We are asking you to imagine these lyrics as the power point slides or the song sheets handed out to those who come to sing praise to God each weekend.
Vibrant worship demonstrates our faith in the existence and involvement of our compassionate Lord God.
As we move into Book 4, Psalms 90-106 scream out the truth, “God has always been on the throne and He still reigns!” Hope begins to break forth into a blazing sunrise as the worshipper responds to this age-old truth: God is King – period. Consider this as the theme of this passage …
“Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones! For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him? O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you?” (Psalm 89:5–8, ESV)
This book, Psalms 90-106, reverberates with the triumph and power of our Almighty God …
- Consider this statement by Moses expressing the eternality of God in Psalm 90:
“For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. ” (Psalm 90:4, ESV)
- Hear the strength of the Psalmist’s conviction concerning the rule of God in Psalm 93:
“The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting. ” (Psalm 93:1–2, ESV)
- Listen at the Psalmist declares that there are no other gods above our God, who is King above all gods in Psalm 95:
“Oh 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. ” (Psalm 95:1–3, ESV)
- Rejoice in the reality that our God saves us from eternal destruction and real life’s situations with the Psalmist in Psalm 98:
“Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The Lord has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. ” (Psalm 98:1–3, ESV)
- Worship God as the Creator of the universe as described by the Psalmist in Psalm 104:
“Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent. He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire. He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved. You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. ” (Psalm 104:1–6, ESV)
Psalm by psalm, verse by verse, these worship songs provide the reader with an inescapable conclusion: God is the mighty creator of the universe, intimately involved in the lives of his children and worthy of their praise for his protection and provision.
It is our hope that this background information helps a bit as you read on in the Bible.
© 2011 Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, All rights reserved.
For daily insights into the passage we are reading together each day, you can follow Dr. Smith on Twitter and on Facebook.
You can obtain more help from the FREE Bible reading schedule on our resource page. In His Image is a daily devotional that also follows our reading schedule and expresses the Biblical truth: “God Created You to Love You.” You can find this resource on the side bar of our website.
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