Jesus, the devotional book I read each morning had a couple of verses today from the hundredth psalm. I recognized it because it was a psalm we used to sing when I was in my church's youth group many years ago. The melody came back to me as I looked it up and saw the full text, and sang it out loud.
I was struck by all the imperatives in the psalm - imperatives that probably didn't mean much to a sixteen-year old kid, but almost leap from the page when you read it in later (and hopefully wiser) years:
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before his presence with singing.
Know that the Lord is God.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving.
Enter into his courts with praise.
Be thankful unto him.
Bless his name.
All action verbs. All things that I need to be mindful of doing. It's a heady list - some things which come naturally to me as a musician, some things I practice daily in my journalling and prayers, but other things that require committed and intentional effort. Thanksgiving and singing have become second nature over the years; gladness and praise seem almost like 'clothes that don't match the man.'
So this is a list to take to heart, to keep in mind, and to put into practice. And why would I want to do these things? Luckily, the psalmist gives that answer, too, closing with a reminder that 'the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endures to all generations.'
Asking, Jesus, that your goodness, mercy and truth be reflected in my life today as I attempt to live out the imperatives of this psalm.
Amen.
