Psalm 95 and 96 … Consider Him, the Lord Our Maker, Our God

Originally posted: 11/19/2020

Come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
⁷ For He is our God… (95:6-7).

Cause to sing! Both psalms today call on the listeners to sing His praises. And both psalms give plenty of cause to come before Him with songs of great praise and joyful thanksgiving.

As I contemplated this truth, as I let that reality sink in, that the Maker of heaven and earth and all that is contained therein, that the Creator of every living thing, the Lord over every bit of His creation, is my God, I sat in stunned silence. And then I found myself desiring to answer the call of today’s psalms, to sing a new song and proclaim the good news of His salvation; and I’m sure you did too!

Sing to the Lord a new song;
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
² Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day, (96:1-2).

Today’s psalms offer a panoramic view of the Creator, Majestic, Omnipotent God: in the past, present and future; and both are songs filled with praise, communicating the good news of Him, the Lord Our Maker, Our God.

Consider Him, the Lord Our Maker, Our God

• He is the Lord Our Maker, Our God; He is the Great King above all gods.
  • For the Lord is a great God
    And a great King above all gods, (95:3).

• He is the Lord Our Maker, Our God; His hands formed and hold all of His creation.
  • In whose hand are the depths of the earth,
    The peaks of the mountains are His also.
    ⁵ The sea is His, for it was He who made it,
    And His hands formed the dry land, (95:4-5).

• He is the Lord Our Maker, Our God; He is praised and feared above all gods.
  • For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;
    He is to be feared above all gods, (96:4).

• He is the Lord Our Maker, Our God; He is high above all gods in His splendor and majesty, strength and beauty.
  • For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
    But the Lord made the heavens.
    ⁶ Splendor and majesty are before Him,
    Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary, (96:5-6).

• He is the Lord Our Maker, Our God; His reign is firmly established in His righteous judgments.
  • Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns;
    Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved;
    He will judge the peoples with equity,” (96:10).

• He is the Lord Our Maker, Our God; His whole creation awaits with joyful anticipation for His faithful and righteous return.
  •  Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
    Let the sea roar, and all it contains;
    ¹² Let the field exult, and all that is in it.
    Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy
    ¹³ Before the Lord, for He is coming,
    For He is coming to judge the earth.
    He will judge the world in righteousness
    And the peoples in His faithfulness, (96:11-13).

How do we respond to Him, the Lord Our Maker, Our God?

As we learned yesterday, when we fixate our thoughts on ourselves and how our circumstances have played out in the past, are currently unfolding in our present, and the possible unknowns of our future, we are ripe for the picking to be engulfed in multiplied anxieties.

Today, let us see Him in the panoramic view. It is as we see every bit of life and time under the rule and reign of Him, the Lord Our Maker, Our God, that we will turn our attention away from the unpleasantries and uncertainties of this life and shift our focus to His glorious power; and it is then we will follow the wise instructions provided in today’s psalms to respond with praise.

And as we do:

• Let us sing, and even shout, joyfully to Him, the Lord Our Maker, Our God.
  • O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord,
    Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation, (95:1).

• Let us come with boundless thanksgiving before the presence of Him, the Lord Our Maker, Our God.
  • Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving,
    Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms, (95:2).

• Let us humbly worship, bow down and kneel before Him, the Lord Our Maker, Our God.
  • Come, let us worship and bow down,
    Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker, (95:6).

• Let us live as His sheep, following our Shepherd, as we listen and obey the voice of Him, the Lord Our Maker, Our God.
  • For He is our God,
    And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.
    Today, if you would hear His voice, (95:7).

• Let us ask Him, the Lord Our Maker, Our God, to hold our hearts, that they would remain soft, pliable and faithful as we see His work in our lives.
  • Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
    As in the day of Massah in the wilderness,
    ⁹ “When your fathers tested Me,
    They tried Me, though they had seen My work, (95:8-9).

• Let us sing a new song of praise every day to Him, the Lord Our Maker, Our God.
  • Sing to the Lord a new song;
    Sing to the Lord, all the earth, (96:1).

• Let us sing to bless His Name as we tell the world of the wonderful deeds of Him, the Lord Our Maker, Our God.
  • Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
    Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.
    ³ Tell of His glory among the nations,
    His wonderful deeds among all the peoples, (96:2-3).

• Let us come before Him with our offerings of praise as we ascribe and attribute to Him all the glory and strength that is due Him, the Lord Our Maker, Our God.
  • Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
    Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength,
    ⁸ Ascribe to the Lord the glory of His name;
    Bring an offering and come into His courts, (96:7-8).

• Oh, that we would live in such reverent fear that we would daily surrender our whole lives in holy worship to Him, the Lord Our Maker, Our God.
  • Worship the Lord in holy attire;
    Tremble before Him, all the earth, (96:9).

The truth is, every day is an opportunity to sing a new song to Him, the Lord Our Maker, Our God; for every day is a gift of His unceasing lovingkindness, His gracious compassion and His marvelous mercy. His faithfulness is beyond description.

Oh, that we would make the choice, each and every day, to remember and call to mind the privilege we have to know Him, the Lord Our Maker, as Our God! How can we do anything but sing a new song to Him, the Lord Our Maker, Our God?

This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
²² The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness, (Lamentations 3:21-23).

Sing to the Lord a new song;
Sing to the Lord, all the earth, (96:1).

Let’s Grow Together!