Devotions

Rev Gav

Jubilate

Psalm 100

O be joyful in the Lord, all the earth;
serve the Lord with gladness
and come before his presence with a song.
Know that the Lord is God;
it is he that has made us and we are his;
we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and bless his name.
For the Lord is gracious; his steadfast love is everlasting,
and his faithfulness endures from generation to generation.

Reflect

Psalm 100 is (perhaps after Psalm 23) the most widely recited psalm as it is used in Christian worship throughout the world. You may have heard it referred to as the ‘Jubilate Deo’ which is the Latin for the opening words ‘Rejoice in God’, and many worshippers simply call it ‘the Jubilate’.

The psalm makes four statements and the first three are directives or actions, and the last is the rationale or motive behind those actions, therefore, if we work backwards:

God is gracious with a steadfast love that is everlasting
and a faithfulness that endures from generation to generation.

What then is our response to God’s eternal grace, love, and faithfulness?

The first thing to do is to come to God to offer praise and thanksgiving.

Let us enter God’s gates with thanksgiving and God’s courts with praise.
Let us give thanks to God and bless God’s name.

The second is to rest in God’s presence and provision:

Let us know that the Lord is God;
that God has made us and we belong to God,
and that we are God’s people and the sheep of God’s pasture.

And finally, we join in with the whole of creation to sing God’s praise — but more than that, we bring ourselves as an offering before God in both service and song:

Let all the earth be joyful in God, serving God with gladness
and coming before God’s presence with a song.

Today, may you come into God’s presence, give thanks, rest in God’s provision, and may your song of praise be to serve God with joy.

Pray

Holy God
Thank you that your
steadfast love is everlasting.
As I trust in your provision,
may I continue
to praise your holy name,
and as I serve you,
may a song of joy
be always on my lips.
Now and forever.