Daily Devotion by Dan Morrell

1 All nations, clap your hands and shout!
Let joyful cries to God ring out!
2 How awesome is the LORD Most High,
Great King who rules the earth throughout!

3 He has subdued beneath our feet
The nations who had been our foes.
4 In blessing Jacob, whom he loved,
A heritage for us he chose.

5 God has gone up with shouts of joy,
The LORD amid the trumpets’ sound.
6 Sing praise, sing praise to God Most High;
To God our King let praise abound.

7 For God is King of all the earth;
Sing psalms of praise to him alone.
8 God rules the nations from on high;
He sits upon his holy throne.

9 The leaders of the nations come
To yield themselves to Abr’ham’s God.
To him belong the shields of earth;
Exalted greatly is the LORD!

You can hear a Free Church of Scotland sing this to the tune Warrington here 
Reflection
Poetry has never been my strong suit. I struggle to see past a poem that doesn’t rhyme so I’m glad this Psalm translation does. Beyond the pretty rhyming couplets we see instructions, a sending out for us all to go and sing the praises of our God to others. This is no mean feat, it’s relatively easy for us to sing God’s praises in church on Sunday, especially when everyone else is doing that same thing. How much do we challenge ourselves to do this, to tell people about God’s awesome wonder in our everyday lives?

“You shall go out with joy” is the song that comes to mind when reading this Psalm. You SHALL, no back-sies! We’ve been commanded to go out and celebrate the good news, it’s our role as Christians. And as the United Reformed Church as we begin to embark on this journey of Missional Discipleship, this need to sing God’s praises is more prevalent than ever. It’s necessarily, it’s VITAL. It should be a core part of our lives, not something we do on a Sunday.
The Lord to be Praised,
Help us to learn of your love for us,
Help us to be guided to singing your name
Send us out with joy,
and lead us forth with peace,
So that we may sing of your glory,
and of your might.
So that at your name,
every knee shall bow.
Amen

Today’s Writer

Dan Morrell is the Immediate-Past Moderator of Youth Assembly worshipping at St Andrew’s Roundhay, in Leeds.

Bible Version

 

New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Bible: © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved