Psalm 100 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 100 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
Verse 2Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing.
Verse 3Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Verse 4Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.
Verse 5For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Devotion
Clinton McCann Jr, a noted scholar of the Psalter, has suggested that Psalm 100 is perhaps the best known of all the psalms; that familiarity seems appropriate. It begins with a call for “all the earth” to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord.” That includes not only all humankind but all of God’s creatures. I also have noticed that the ones called to praise God do not even need to be capable of carrying a tune. They are to make “a joyful noise.” The psalmist goes on to call us to acknowledge our relationship with God: he has made us; we are his possession, the sheep of his pasture.
We are to bless, serve, and worship God because “the Lord is good.” We then find one of the most frequently repeated descriptions of God in the Bible: “His steadfast love endures forever.” And just in case we may have missed it, in typical poetic fashion, our psalm of praise then concludes with the equivalent assurance that God’s faithfulness continues “to all generations.”
Prayer
God of all creation, even when we neglect to worship you in gladness, we thank you that you are always good and steadfast in your love and faithfulness for us, and for all creation. Amen.