Psalm 95:1 “O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.”
It is very hard to magnify God when you are the biggest thing in your life. It is equally as hard to magnify the Lord when the problems you face are the biggest things in your life. Psalm 95 reminds us that we have an obligation to praise and thank the Lord.
We are to “sing unto the LORD” and “make a joyful noise.” If you are like me, the second one is easier than the first! We are to praise the Lord, as well as “come before his presence with thanksgiving.” When you are magnifying God, self will diminish along with the problems that conspire for your attention. The larger God becomes, the smaller I and problems become! That may be easier said than done, but it is the reality God wants us to have in our lives.
So why are we to praise God? Because He is a great God (verse 3). If God is a great God, that means your problems are not bigger than He is. Conversely, if you spend your life trying to make yourself great and jockeying for stature and standing, you have nothing to help when life’s problems are greater than your ability.
Not only are we to praise God because He is a great God, but we are also to praise Him because He is a “great King aboveall gods.” If God wasn’t above all gods, He would cease to be God! God isn’t just a good option or the best option; He is the only option.
God is a great God; God is a great King above all gods; but thank the Lord that He is our God! Verse 7 says, “For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. . . .” Sheep are defenseless, dumb, and need direction. A sheep that thinks he can run his own pasture is destined for trouble. We are the “sheep of [God’s] hands.” Thank the Lord for that truth, but we ought to rest in that truth, too.
It really is hard to magnify the Lord when you are the biggest thing going in your life. This morning, why not take time to praise God for Who He is and thank Him for what He has done. He is “a great God, and a great King above all gods.” Praise the Lord that He also is “our God”!