“Shout Joyfully Before the Lord, the King” (Ps 98)

Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises. Sing to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of a psalm, with trumpets and the sound of a horn; shout joyfully before the LORD, the King. (vs4-6)

Sing joyfully to the Lord who has saved you. He says, “Shout joyfully before the Lord, the King (vs1).” Jesus Christ has triumphed for your benefit, and He's connected your salvation with His own honor, rescuing you from sin. He says, “Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory. The Lord has made known His salvation; His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations. He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God”.

You are the blessed of the earth, and you're to live like it, praising God and RESPONDING to Him for who He is. We are NEVER to take salvation without heart. We are never to believe and yet love someone else more than God. He says, “If you love Me, keep My commandments”, and, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (John 14:15; 1 Cor 10:31). With all our might, we sing, preach, pray, and praise the Lord Jesus Christ with music, mercies towards others, and doing His will.

How could we be saved and not love the Savior? How could you be free and not be thankful? Make sure of the reality of your salvation, and then ascribe Him the proper emotions and feelings of joy. We are not apathetic in praise, as if following Him is a burden that we'd rather not have. We are saved from sin, delivered from wrath to come, and with praises we say “thank you”, and with good works, we respond to God, giving Christ His due, like a man hugs and kisses people who've pulled him from a pit. Test yourself. Is He your Savior? Is Christ returning to bring you to bliss, to right the wrongs, and to give you a fair judgment, whereby you'll be rewarded and sin eliminated forever in punishment? If so, if this is your heart belief, then your heart will rejoice.

Often, we don't FEEL like singing the hymns, loving the wife, or forgiving the enemy, but what does that matter? He says, “Let the sea roar, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell in it; let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills be joyful together before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth. With righteousness He shall judge the world, and the peoples with equity” (vs8). I don't trust Christ because I want to; I trust because I'm commanded. Then, when I obey, I see the benefits of so great a Savior. “Jesus said to her, Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God” (John 11:40)? Likewise, we may be angry, hurting, or full of fears, but the COMMAND to sing praises and the command to look upon His return in joyful expectation forces us to experience grace that we'd never have sought. The command cheers me up, as I recount the gospel and go to God in order to fulfill it. The command to rejoice PRODUCES cheer, which we need, and which honors the Lord.

Have no gloomy Christianity, staring at YOUR sins. Have the GRACE of Christ.