Devotional: Psalm 95

God and His sense of Hearing

How can we be a joyful noise?

Hebrews 13: 15-16 

Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name.  Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

God and the sense of hearing

My parents are both Deaf, because of this I have always been very aware of my hearing.  Hearing is more than a sense when it comes to the word of God.  It is also something that comes from the heart, eyes and ears as well.  I could argue how the sense of taste and touch are also ways we hear God.  

A sacrifice of praise to God isn’t just a vocal utterance, but a state of being as well.  When we offer to God a heart set on worship - I believe He Hears it on a level that we can only imagine.  We don’t have to have beautiful voices set in harmony.  He hears the guttural utterance that we cry out in worship as well.  He hears the hands lifted up in silent worship as in the sign languages of the world.  They are all pleasing to Him.

What is a Joyful noise to god?

Often we think of worship as the time of singing that precedes a sermon in church.  Worship is a joyful noise to God!  In the Psalms we see lots of references to a joyful noise.

Psalms 95, 98, 100

Psalms 95: 1 - 7a

[Let Us Sing Songs of Praise]

[95:1] Oh come, let us sing to the LORD;

let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

  [2] Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

  [3] For the LORD is a great God,

and a great King above all gods.

  [4] In his hand are the depths of the earth;

the heights of the mountains are his also.

  [5] The sea is his, for he made it,

and his hands formed the dry land.

[6] Oh come, let us worship and bow down;

let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!

  [7] For he is our God,

and we are the people of his pasture,

and the sheep of his hand.

 (Psalm 95 ESV)

This Psalm covers a lot of ground.  

Is God worth of our worship?  Yes!  Why?

vs  3 - For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods.

vs  4 - In his hands are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.

vs  5 - The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. 

vs  6 - Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

Okay so what? 

How does that connect back to Christ?

vs 1 - Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Our Salvation comes from God through Christ Jesus.  In 1 Cor 10:4 the scriptures says ... “the Rock was Christ.”  The “Rock” is also a common OT name for God (eg. Deut 32:4, 15, 18, 30-31).  

vs 7 - For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

John 10:14-15  “I am the good shepherd.  I know my own and my own know me, just as the father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

My response to this is what?

God hears our worship in whatever way it is uttered!  Hears it as we express it from within ourselves.  Worship is more than a song we sing.  It is an attitude of the heart, the mind and our innermost being. There is a lot of noise out there that isn’t joyful.  The noise of self condemnation, the noise of our children, of the dirty dishes and so much more.  We live in a noisy world where the goal seems to be to drown out the sound of God in our lives.  We focus on the worries in life.  The worries of when we will get to do this or that, or the worry about affording certain pleasures.  

What it comes down to is this.  God hears us - he cares about us, He knows our thoughts before they are expressed in our own mind.  That is pretty amazing. 

The word says that God knows the number of hairs that are on my head. Matthew 10: 30-31  But even the hairs of your head are numbered.  Fear not therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 

 If he knows even that about me how much more does he want me to worship Him.  He does not need our worship - He wants it.  

We all have needs in our life, but our wants give us the most joy.  

Think about it.  God WANTS to hear your worship!  Wow! let us go praise Him now!