My Jesus, my Savior
Lord there is none like you
All of my days, I want to praise
The wonders of your mighty love
My comfort, my shelter
Tower of refuge and strength
Let every breath, all that I am
Never cease to worship You

Shout to the Lord, all the earth let us sing
Power and majesty, praise to the King
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name
I sing for joy at the work of your hands
Forever I’ll love you, forever I’ll stand
Nothing compares to the promise I have
In YOU

(Words & Music by Darlene Zschech © 1993 Hillsong Music)

Most of us grew up in church singing this song first introduced in our youth groups and then to the church at large.  When sung with a pure heart and a mind ready to set aside all other agendas and just simple praise God for all He is and all He has done to save us grabs our hearts and minds and fills our souls with His Holy Spirit in ways that draw us closer to Him.  Why, because that’s what praise for God alone does—God draws near us when we come to Him with heartfelt, humbled, holy praises over performance!  God who sees our hearts is pleased when those hearts are committed to Him in thanksgiving.

Lately Trust in God has captured our hearts with more words of praise to our God, the One and Only we can trust completely.  (Written by Steven Furtick, Chris Brown, Brandon Lake, Mitch Wong ©2023 Music by Elevation Worship Publishing, Bethel Music Publishing/Maverick City Publishing Worldwide, Integrity’s Praise! Music // A Wong Made Write Publishing)

As we read, meditate, and thank God this morning for this psalm; we remember who God is and what He has done ever so patiently, “over and over again” to protect us, provide for our needs, care for us even more than the birds of the air—even when we are slow to come to Him with all that is in us. Everything that has been created gives glory to God. The psalm writer encouraged the people to bring an offering of worship to God—the best of which is surrendering our will to His best plan for us!  The words of the psalmist also give us the attitude of praise— “Let’s march into His presence singing praises, lifting the rafters with our hymns!”  I challenge all worship leaders to use this line when leading and encouraging the church to stop dragging their feet but get up, march right into the throne room of God and give His praise!  There is no one like our God!  God is the One and Only we should worship and praise!  Why—God is the Best!

Psalm 95, The Message

^1-2 Come, let’s shout praises to God,
    raise the roof for the Rock who saved us!
Let’s march into his presence singing praises,
    lifting the rafters with our hymns!

^3-5 And why? Because God is the best,
    High King over all the gods.
In one hand he holds deep caves and caverns,
    in the other hand grasps the high mountains.
He made Ocean—he owns it!
    His hands sculpted Earth!

^6-7 So come, let us worship: bow before him,
    on your knees before God, who made us!
Oh yes, he’s our God,
    and we’re the people he pastures, the flock he feeds.

^7-11 Drop everything and listen, listen as he speaks:
    “Don’t turn a deaf ear as in the Bitter Uprising,
As on the day of the Wilderness Test,
    when your ancestors turned and put me to the test.
For forty years they watched me at work among them,
    as over and over they tried my patience.
And I was provoked—oh, was I provoked!
    ‘Can’t they keep their minds on God for five minutes?
    Do they simply refuse to walk down my road?’
Exasperated, I exploded,
    ‘They’ll never get where they’re headed,
    never be able to sit down and rest.’”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

The Psalmist is leading us to worship as all believers all over the world!  This is praise of God in community, not individual, although both are important. Our praise should be joyful and enthusiastic—he even commands us to sing and shout and to fully focuse on the Lord. The verb “come” in verse 2 means “to go to meet God face-to-face, to be in His presence.”

As believers in Jesus as Savior; we have new privileges that come with our transformed lives by His Holy Spirit!  Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, believers are granted open, confident access to God. Instead of approaching with fear, we can draw near to God to receive mercy and find the exact grace needed for any situation.  The writer of Hebrews explains;

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16, NIV

Let us not take this holy privilege for granted!  Come, meet God face-to-face, and dwell in His Holy Presence for as long as necessary to receive His wisdom, love, mercy, and grace as we surrender to His will—God’s Best for us!  Boldness and confidence come from the Lord at work within us; not from what we do.

Warren Wierbe, Bible scholar, writes;

“Praise means looking up, but worship means bowing down. Alas, some people who enjoy lifting their hands and shouting do not enjoy bowing their knees and submitting. True worship is much deeper than communal praise, for worship involves realizing the awesomeness of God and experiencing the fear of the Lord and a deeper love for Him.

Too often Christian “praise” is nothing but religious entertainment, and it never moves into spiritual enrichment in the presence of the Lord. Our singing must give way to silence as we bow before the Lord. He alone is Jehovah, the Lord, the covenant-making and covenant-keeping God. He is our Maker and our Shepherd (see Psalm 23; John 10). Jubilation has its place only if it becomes adoration and we are prostrate before the Lord in total submission, “lost in wonder, love, and praise.”—Wiersbe Study Bible

“Worship God alone; there will be no other gods before Me”—God, Exodus 20:3

Lord,

I trust in you alone for all the days of my life. Thank you, thank you, thank you for saving my soul, making me whole, while leading me through fires and victories time after time! Yes, I trust You for You are Life!

In Jesus Name, Amen

I trust in God My Savior The One who will never fail He will never fail

Perfect submission All is at rest

I know the Author of tomorrow Has ordered my steps

So this is my story And this is my song

Praising my risen King and Savior All the day long…