This past Sunday, we considered Psalm 96. This psalm is a call to do two things: 1) to sing joyfully to God, and 2) to tell of the glory of God. In other words, worship and evangelism. But we’re not just talking about formal activities in the life of the church. We’re not talking only about what we do at 10:30 on Sundays, or only what foreign missionaries do. We’re talking about what should characterize the life of God’s people: singing to God, and declaring about God.
If “Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised” (vs. 4), than it is fitting and right to both worship him ourselves AND make him known so that others might worship him. His goodness, glory and grace are not merely subjectively our “cup of tea,” but perhaps not relevant for others. For “The Lord reigns…(and) he will judge the peoples with equity” (vs. 10). He is God over all.
The world wants to tell us that religion is a private thing, that what we believe about God is between us and God, and shouldn’t be discussed in public, or with those who disagree. But if God is sovereign Lord of all, who will one day judge the world; if God has given Christ that all would be saved who call on his name, then our faith is not a private thing.
And neither is our faith a sour, glum, cold, dead, lifeless, lukewarm, begrudging, dirge of a thing. Who God is and what he has done calls for singing! God is after singing saints! God is after people alive to the wonder and worth of himself, who then burst forth with praise TO God, and declarations ABOUT God.
And that’s convicting. How easy it is to go through the motions, to merely keep believing (and do keep believing!), keep gathering with the church (and do keep gathering with the church!), but otherwise be silent, glum and sour.
Let’s repent of that, recognize that singing and telling is appropriate and right and called for, because of who God is, and is to us through Jesus.