Psalm 98

Praise the Judge of the World

A Psalm.

1 O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory. 2 The Lord has made known his victory; he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations. 3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises. 5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody. 6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.

7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who live in it. 8 Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy 9 at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

A couple of years ago, my wife and I traveled to Boston for our niece’s wedding. The outdoor setting proved to be ideal for the mid-October wedding. The park where the wedding took place has a pond with a fountain, a gazebo on the shore, and beautiful trees all around. The colors of the trees and the bright sunshine made for a lovely backdrop for a lovely wedding. The bride and groom, nervous and happy, and the families gathered filled with joy for these two. A small group of us gathered, due to, well, you know… But we were able to be present for a special day.

As we drove home from the Cleveland airport, the colors of the trees were accented by the bright sun and dark clouds that dotted the sky. The red maples, the evergreens, the oak and locust and buckeye trees were in full color.

The beauty of the fall colors and sunshine and sky were as if creation itself was singing praise to God! That is what I hear in today’s psalm – praise!

Can you hear it? Can you see it?

I remember how that struck me at the time. We were just a few months into COVID, still not worshipping in person. How I missed singing together and hearing the praise band and the organ and more. It was frustrating to not have those wonderful gifts of worship. But that didn’t mean songs of praise had ceased. I recall that with those being silenced (or muffled a bit), we tuned our ears and eyes to the many wonders of praise all around us.

God created. And what God created is very good. That includes you. Praise God for today. Praise God for God’s righteousness. Praise God for God has done marvelous things.

Let all creation Praise the Lord.

Let us pray: Dear God, how amazing is your creation. We join in all creation in singing your praise. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.