O come, let us sing to the LORD;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the LORD is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and the dry land, which his hands have formed.
6 O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.

When I was in high school, I remember our church pastor meeting with our senior high Sunday School class and discussing “the dual intended audience” of the Bible. He talked about how God’s Word was intended and able to speak to not only the people in the time in which was written, but equally to us in our time.

Those words resonate with me here in 2020.

Three thousand years ago, as the people of God were facing their own unique challenges (famine? – pestilence? – political turmoil? – personal struggles?) the Psalmist called them to sing to the rock of their salvation. And they did, worshipping and bowing down to the great God who had created and controlled the mountains, the dry land, the sea, and the depths of the earth. They listened and they lived.

Now, in 2020, God’s people are facing our own challenges ((food shortages? – a virus? – political turmoil? – personal struggles?) and the Psalmist calls us to lift our hearts and voices to God.

O come, let us sing to the LORD;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the LORD is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and the dry land, which his hands have formed.
6 O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.

Those words, and the faith they inspire, still work.

Prayer

God, we come before You today as sheep in need of guidance and protection. In our days, let us lift our prayers of trust to You, as we walk along the path of discipleship with Jesus, our Lord and Savior, in whose name we pray. Amen.