Come and shout!
Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.” Selah (Psalm 66:1-4)
God is awesome in character, knowledge, and skill.
God is man’s greatest possible friend; his friends find comfort in his arms.
God is the worst enemy imaginable; his enemies cringe before him. Why would we be numbered amongst God’s enemies who have been, are, and will be forced to come cringing before him?
God is the gracious savior who makes arrogant enemies his friends.
God is watching; he is very near.
God is encouraging all the earth, all of us, to shout, sing, praise, and pray.
Come on friends, let’s join the billion-member, multi-generational, multi-ethnic, international, and universal throng. It’s the Lord’s Day. It’s another of the Lord’s days. It’s one more 24-hour period in which we get to enjoy God and give him glory. It’s time to shout, sing, praise, and pray.
Come and read!
Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man. He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There did we rejoice in him, who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations— let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah (Psalm 66:5-7)
God has a special seed, family, nation, flock, people, and kingdom.
God has a long record of his awesome deeds towards his worshiping family.
God’s powerful care can be seen in his dealings with Israel and Egypt.
- He promises redemption
- He supplies a mediatorial savior and shepherd
- He miraculously rescues his helpless people
- He ultimately vanquishes his arrogant and rebellious foes
Come on friends, this is what God does for us. He is the one who foreloves, sends, saves, and rescues. Jesus Christ did so through his first coming. He will do so again in his second coming. Some may continue to be arrogantly rebellious before the omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, and eternal King, but not us. Today, we get to boldly come before the throne of the Lord of the Nation. Today, we get to fall down, bow down, get up, run into our Father’s arms, and let him lead us in his sacred dance. Today, we get to raise our eyes, raise our hands, and then raise our voices. He is God. He is our God. We are his people. Aren’t you getting the sense that it is time for us to glorify and enjoy our Heavenly Father together?
Come and cry!
Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip. For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance. I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will perform my vows to you, that which my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble. I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals, with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams; I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah (Psalm 66:8-15)
God is the one who keeps our soul living; he is the one who grants us eternal life.
God is the one who keeps our feet from slipping; he preserves us to the end.
God is the one who — though being powerful, wise, and kind — ordains our hurts. He is the one who sovereignly and mysteriously causes and/or allows tests, trials, temptations, and tribulations.
- He burns away the useless dross
- He snags us in his net
- He loads his burdens on our backs
- The wicked hurt our heads
God is the one who turns our focus towards him in the day of trouble.
God is the one who promises us abundance — first in his earthly house and then in his heavenly presence.
Come on friends, let’s go worship and keep our vows. Jesus has offered the perfect sacrifice. Through his merit we are perfect worshipers in our Father’s presence. So boldly, let’s go offer the sacrifices he desires most — our trusting heads, our love-filled hearts, and our faith-inspired prayers.
Come repent and rejoice!
Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul. I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me! (Psalm 66:16-20)
God is awesome; he is to be feared, reverenced, honored, and hallowed.
God is holy; he defines and loves righteousness; he abhors sin and sins — the root and the fruit.
God is distant (really or experientially) from those who vainly imagine personal perfection in affections, thoughts, words, and deeds.
God is relationally and experientially close to those who see his standard, recognize their sin, understand their helplessness, confess their transgressions, cry out in need, and rejoice because of Jesus Christ their Savior. God listens to them. God attends their voice. God rejects not their prayer. He allows penitent worshipers to freshly enjoy his steadfast love.
Friends, today, we have been summoned to worship. Please, let us not merely read our heavenly summons and go on about our day. God is calling us to shout, sing, praise, and pray. He is calling us to adoration, thanksgiving, supplication, and confession. It is time to get in our car, get to the assembly, get on our knees, and get in the Bible. It is time to repent and then rejoice. Come on friends, it’s the Lord’s Day, and he is calling us to worship. Let’s do it and experience even more of God’s steadfast love.
Unfathomable Grace 
Reblogged this on Truth2Freedom's Blog.