Psalm 99 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 99 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1The Lord is king; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
Verse 2The Lord is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples.
Verse 3Let them praise your great and awesome name. Holy is he!
Verse 4Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
Verse 5Extol the Lord our God; worship at his footstool. Holy is he!
Verse 6Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called on his name. They cried to the Lord, and he answered them.
Verse 7He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept his decrees, and the statutes that he gave them.
Verse 8O Lord our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
Verse 9Extol the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the Lord our God is holy.
Devotion
This psalm reminds us that one proper response to our Lord is trembling. We should praise and extol and worship. Holy is God! Yet how often do we, instead, hear the name of the Lord being used in vulgar conversation? Whenever I hear someone use the name "Jesus Christ" as a curse word, I whisper under my breath "loves you." For me this helps ease the offense I feel.
When I was teaching confirmation, I tried to show the kids how it would feel if their name was a curse word. They seemed to get it, but old habits die hard. If we truly understand the power of God's name, we will never use it lightly. We're told that Moses, Aaron and Samuel called on the name of God and were forgiven. God answered them and their wrongdoings were set aside. By whom? By the beautiful and precious name of Jesus Christ.
Prayer
Holy Lord, your name is sacred. Help us to remember that and never use it lightly. Forgive those who do not yet understand the power of your name. Amen.