Tuesday Reflection – August 11, 2020 Jubilant Worship

Tuesday Reflection – August 11, 2020Jubilant Worship

Psalm 68 is a prayer and praise to God. It is believed to have been written on the occasion of David completing the tent to house the Ark of the Covenant and bringing it there. David’s prayer is one of rejoicing. The Psalm is also messianic in part as it anticipates God’s sending of the Messiah as Israel’s ultimate hope, even as the Ark of the Covenant gave them hope by its presence among them. In verse 3 (Ps 68), our watchword for today, David declares, Let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy. 

Israel should rejoice because of God’s faithfulness. God protects the righteous and makes provisions for those who trust in Him. In the same way Israel could now rest assured that God would protect them, so too, we who trust in God have the assurance of his protection regardless of what is happening around us. This gives reason for rejoicing. Ps 32: 11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!  Those who live righteously can and should rejoice. This is in contrast to the scattering of the wicked or the unrighteous. The same God who brings sorrow to the unrighteous, is the source of joy for the righteous. Let the righteous therefore be joyful. Our verse also calls for worship. To exult is to give high praise, to leap for joy, to be extremely joyful. This is all being done before the Lord which makes it worship. Such worship is a response to God’s presence in the placement of Ark of the Covenant in its tent and also as a response to God’s blessings and protection of His people. While the enemies of good cringe in fear at the presence of God, the righteous can openly praise and worship God knowing they are guaranteed God’s presence, protection and provision. Nothing therefore should take away from our worship, not the hardship of the times, not the dread of a virus. Worship that is done in spirit and in truth is not tied to a place or space but flows unbounded from the hearts of the righteous and God who is omnipresent receives our worship and responds with His continued blessings on our lives irrespective of what is taking place in the physical realm. Indeed, God’s blessings help us to navigate the times in confidence when fear grips the world around us. God is a mighty and compassionate God and that gives us every reason to be jubilant with joy. 
To be jubilant is to be joyful. It’s saying our joy should be extreme. Worshippers should never be stoic and wretched. We should be so caught up in God’s presence through our worship that we have no room for anything but joyful jubilation. We are thanking God for his blessings and deliverance while declaring our trust for what is ahead. This is praiseworthy. Paul puts it perfectly in the doctrinal text for today from Phil 4: 4 rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. May our worship therefore be unhindered as we rejoice in a God who completely cares for those who put their trust in Him. Amen
Bevon White