Early yesterday, after reading Psalm 98 during my daily Bible study, I headed out for my morning run with the words of this beautiful song of praise still on my mind.
As I ran, I found myself meditating, once again, on the goodness of God. His mercy. His faithfulness. His grace. And the incredible gift of salvation that we have through Jesus Christ.
My time spent in the Word was such a beautiful reminder that there's always a reason to rejoice! You see, the psalmist calls us to sing a new song to the Lord because of the marvelous things He has done. He reminds us that God has made His salvation known, revealed His righteousness, and remained faithful to His promises. And because of that, we are called to praise Him!
Not quietly. Not reluctantly. But joyfully!
In fact, verse four tells us to “break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.”
And that's exactly what I found myself doing as I listened to CeCe Winans Holy Forever. It's a song that I listen to nearly every day and yet each time I listen to it, the realization that God is gooder than He was the day before always makes me delight myself in Him, and causes my heart to overflow with joy.
“If you've been forgiven and if you've been redeemed
Sing the song forever to the LambIf you walk in freedom and if you bear His nameSing the song forever to the LambSing the song forever and amen
And all the angels cry, holy
All creation cries, holy
And all the angels cry, holy
All creation cries, holy
You are lifted high, holyHoly foreverHear your people sing, holyTo the King of kings, holyAnd You will always be, holyHoly forever”
As I ran past a few houses, the words of the song reminded me, once again, of the forgiveness, redemption, and freedom we have through Jesus Christ. And I couldn't help but sing along! And apparently I wasn't singing quietly!
I was singing so loudly and joyfully, in fact, that when I glanced over, I noticed an older woman standing in her yard looking up to see what all the commotion was.
I simply smiled and kept running. And kept singing!
Because at that moment, I wasn't concerned about what anyone thought of me. I was too busy thinking about what Jesus had done for me!
And that got me thinking.
How often do we hold back our praise because we're worried about what other people might think?
The phrase “break forth” in Psalm 98:4 paints a picture of joy that simply cannot be contained. It's an expression of praise that comes from a heart so overwhelmed by God's goodness that it naturally spills out.
And shouldn't that be the way we live?
Think about it. We serve a God who loved us enough to send His only Son to die for our sins. A God who offers forgiveness we could never earn, grace we don't deserve, and the promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
If that isn't something worth singing about, I don't know what is!
And the beautiful thing about Psalm 98 is that the call to worship doesn't stop with us. The psalmist describes the seas roaring, the rivers clapping their hands, and the hills rejoicing together before the Lord. All creation is pictured celebrating the King who reigns in righteousness and who will one day judge the earth with perfect fairness.
What a beautiful reminder that our joy isn't based on our circumstances but on who God is and what He has done.
You see, we don't have to wait until everything in our lives is going right to praise Him. We can rejoice in the middle of our struggles because His goodness doesn't change. His promises don't change. And His love for us doesn't change.
And when we truly understand that, our praise becomes more than something we do on Sunday mornings. It becomes a natural response to the God we love and serve.
Does that mean we have to run down the street singing at the top of our lungs? Of course not! But it does mean that we shouldn't allow fear, embarrassment, or the opinions of others to keep us from expressing our love for Jesus.
After all, if we can get excited about a football game, a race finish, or any number of temporary things, how much more should we celebrate the eternal victory we have through Christ?
So today, I want to encourage you to spend some time thinking about the goodness of God. Think about where He's brought you from, what He's brought you through, and the promises He's made about where you're going.
And then praise Him!
Sing in your car. Worship on your walk. Thank Him throughout your day. And don't be afraid to let others see the joy you have in Jesus.
Because when we truly grasp how much we've been forgiven and how deeply we've been loved, we have every reason to break forth in joy!
And who knows? Someone might just look up to see what all the commotion is about. And that might be the very opportunity God gives us to point them to Jesus.
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us so many reasons to praise You. Lord, cause us to remember that Your mercies are new every morning that we might see that Your goodness is never-changing and becomes more apparent the more we seek You. Help us to understand what a great gift of salvation has been given to us that we might break forth in joy and song in response. It’s in Your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!
Happy Running!
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