Psalm 100
A psalm. For giving grateful praise.
1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations
A psalm for giving grateful praise.
Quite different from the giving of ungrateful praise
~Worship the LORD with attitude~
~Come before him with sarcasm and cynical remarks~
~Wonder whether He is indeed, God~
~Think about how we came to be~ and to whom or what we owe our allegiance.~
~Enter His place with misgivings and whining~
~complain and doubt His existence-
~question His integrity and endurance- doubt the sincerity of His loving-kindness.
Sometimes I’m guilty of the second rendering of the psalm-
I waver and doubt- my circumstances color the strength of my faith.
It takes a simple childlike faith or a mature tested one to come up to the Gates and enter into the court with true thanksgiving and praise.
I’ve graduated from the first and am approaching the second- so I have to look carefully at what I have to offer. I want my thanks and praise to be as pure and true as the LORD GOD I’m offering it to. And that takes some work- some prayer- some repentance- a renewal of faith.
Growing up in the Lord and adding to my faith is not easy. Sometimes the steps are excruciatingly painful- sometimes they are just frightening- becoming His child is only the first step. Becoming His grown up daughter is hard work- and learning to thank Him along the way has to become a daily discipline.
~but that’s the way it is~ in all the Steps on the Journey.
Amen Heidi! I’ve learned the most through the tough times in life. It happen one step at a time. I’m still learning.
Wow, the second version is familiar (since I, too, have lived it) but full of such dissonance! It makes me want to live the first version all the more…
I am ashamed that the second version came so easily to mind. Somehow it seems that that cynical voice that resides in my head is just very quick to speak up and out. 🙁 But – THANKS be to GOD- He has provided the Holy Spirit to also give voice- and it always leads me to the throne.