Are You Still Singing the Same Song? (Psalm 94-97)
Is your worship stuck on repeat? Psalm 96 calls us to sing a new song not because God changed but because he keeps doing new things every day.
Psalm 94-97
Today's Scripture Passage
A Few Thoughts to Consider
Is your worship of God the same as it’s always been?
When you go to pray, do you repeat the same phrases you’ve always prayed? When you sing, do you mumble the same hymns or praise choruses you’ve always sung? And when you think of what God’s done for you, does your mind always drift to the things he did ten or fifteen years ago? If so, this indicates it’s time to sing a new song. Psalm 96:1-3 states,
1 Sing a new song to the Lord;
let the whole earth sing to the Lord.
2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
proclaim his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his wondrous works among all peoples.
Psalm 96 “is a call for universal praise of Yahweh who is coming to judge the earth,” Marvin Tate writes, “The ‘new song’ is to express a new realization and acknowledgment that the future belongs to Yahweh. The new song is the song which breaks through the restraints of the present circumstances and voices expectation and confidence in the future works of God.”[1]
It’s a song to be sung to all nations. Tate notes, “This ‘new song’ likely ‘referred to the celebration of a military victory.’”[2] It’s worship for all the ways God had been faithful in the past. Why should the nations sing? “The answer lies in Yahweh’s deliverance and his wonders, terms that refer to events such as Yahweh’s rescue of Israel from Egypt and his victory at the Red Sea, and also his restoring the people from their exile in Babylon.”[3] God has been faithful in the past, and he will be faithful again.
“One thing our inventive God loves is for His newly created people to express innovative, spontaneous, and unrehearsed praise and thanks to Him. Singing unto the Lord a new song is the natural reaction of an individual who is newly saved and transformed by the Lord.”[4]
A Meditation to PRAY
Praise | Lord, I praise you for being the God who constantly does new things in my life. I celebrate your ongoing faithfulness that extends beyond the past and into the present and future. You deserve fresh expressions of worship that reflect your ever-present goodness.
Release | I release the patterns of stale worship and repetitive prayers that have become routine in my life. Help me let go of old ways of praising you that no longer carry the passion of my heart. I surrender any reluctance to step into a new song of worship.
Ask | Birth a new song in my heart, one that reflects the wonder and awe I feel as I consider your daily mercies. Fill me with spontaneous praise that overflows with gratitude for your continuous works. Give me fresh words to declare your glory to those around me.
Yield | I yield to your Spirit’s leading in how I worship and express my thanks to you. I choose to sing a new song that breaks through the limitations of routine, trusting you to guide my worship in a way that honors who you are today.
