May 4 - Reading 32: Psalms 97-101

“Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.”

(Psalm 100:2)

Today’s Psalms recount the power of God: He reigns; He preserves; He delivers; He is victorious; He answers; He executes revenge; He is our Creator; we are His sheep; He is our Shepherd. In response, we are told to rejoice, sing praises, give thanks; shout joyfully, exalt and praise His holy name.

But sometimes, we just don’t feel like praising Him. We look around and it seems as though He is not present. We turn to Him but don’t see answers, not even on the distant horizon. We feel as if our prayers go into a great void with no one there who cares.

What we need is a major dose of truth.

So let’s ponder this for a minute: Is there such a thing as air? Of course! But have we ever actually seen even a speck of air? No. But we see what air does. We smile as leaves shimmer in the breeze; we watch clouds float lazily across the skies; we are mesmerized as snowflakes dance in the frosty air.

It’s no different with God. Though we haven’t yet seen Him physically, the effects of Him are all around us. We can look back at how our sins brought us to our knees, and how He raised us up to new life in Him. We know He removed our cold, selfish heart of stone and have us a heart of love for Him and compassion for others (Ezekiel 36:26). And it’s not like we haven’t had miraculous answers to our prayers. We just forget to remind ourselves about them.

So, how do we move beyond doubt and despair? We take action. As we intercede today, we remind ourselves that we walk by faith and not by sight

(2 Corinthians 5:7). We determine, regardless of our feelings, “to be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” Why? Because, this is truth: “The Lord is good and His love endures forever, His faithfulness continues through all generations” (Psalm 100:5)