Psalm 100: Lessons for Believers to Properly Worship God

Introduction: Psalm 100 does not identify its author or its context. But many believe that it was drafted following the Jews’ exile. It begins with a call for all the Earth to worship God. This suggests that this psalm, like the ones that precede it, foreshadow the end times. Whatever its exact context, commentator James Hamilton Jr. observes that this psalm identifies seven commands for believers to properly worship God. Believers should: [1] ‘“shout to Him (100:1), [2] ‘serve’ Him (100:2:a), [3] ‘come before Him’ (100:2b), [4] ‘know’ that ‘He is God’ (100:2c), [5] ‘come into His gates’ (100:4), [6] ‘praise Him’ (100:4c), and [7] ‘bless His name’ (100:4d).”1

First, the psalmist began with a call for “all the earth” to “shout joyfully to the Lord.” Your worship should also include joyful songs of praise. Second, the psalmist further commanded believers to “serve the Lord with jubilation.” Joyful service should also be an expression of your worship. Third, the psalmist urged believers to “come before Him with rejoicing.” Joyfully seeking out God should also be an expression of your worship. This should include seeking His will for your life. Fourth, in reference to God as Creator, the psalmist employed believers to “know” Him. Your worship should also include seeking to know God better and obeying Him through the study of His Word. Fifth, the psalmist urged believers to “enter His gates” with “thanksgiving” and “joy”. The gates led to the temple where God’s presence once resided. Today, the Holy Spirit resides within you. But Jesus still wants your worship to include seeking out His fellowship. Sixth, the psalmist urged believers to “give thanks” to God. Your worship should also include gratitude for all He has done for you. Finally, the psalmist urged believers to “bless His name” because of His goodness, mercy, and faithfulness. Your worship should also be a blessing to God’s holy name. The context suggests public worship with others that honors God and gives thanks for who He is and His blessings.

1. Joyful “Shouts”: Worship Should Include Joyful Songs of Praise. Ps. 100:1.

  • Let your worship include joyful songs of praise. Possibly in reference to the promised future rule of the Messiah, the psalmist urged all the Earth to shout joyful songs of worship: “1 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.” (Ps. 100:1). Other psalms contain similar commands for all the nations to turn to God, submit, and rejoice. “Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;” (Ps. 66:1). “Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; be cheerful and sing for joy and sing praises.” (Ps. 98:4). Thus, “[t]his song of praise should be considered as a prophecy, and even used as a prayer, for the coming of that time when all people shall know that the Lord he is God, and shall become his worshippers, and the sheep of his pasture. Great encouragement is given us, in worshipping God, to do it cheerfully. If, when we strayed like wandering sheep, he has brought us again to his fold, we have indeed abundant cause to bless his name.” (Matthew Henry on Ps. 100:1-5).2

Yeshua = God: Devotional: Ezra 3:3

Worship should include joyful music and shouts of praise with your church3

  • Respond to the joy Jesus offers you with joyful songs of praise.  True “joy” comes from Jesus and the Holy Spirit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,” (Gal. 5:22; Ro. 14:17). In your moments of tragedy, sorrow, loss, or trials, the psalms can help you to restore your joy by turning your focus away from yourself and back to God where it belongs.  “But rejoice, all who take refuge in You, sing for joy forever! And may You shelter them, that those who love Your name may rejoice in You.”  (Ps. 5:11).  “I will rejoice and be jubilant in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.”  (Ps. 9:2).  “But the righteous will be joyful; they will rejoice before God; yes, they will rejoice with gladness.” (Ps. 68:3). “My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You; and my soul, which You have redeemed.” (Ps. 71:23). “Come, let’s sing for joy to the Lord, let’s shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.” (Ps. 95:1). “Be joyful in the LORD, you righteous ones, and praise the mention of His holy name.” (Ps. 97:12). “I will rejoice and be jubilant in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.” (Ps. 9:2). “Sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious.” (Ps. 66:2). “I will also praise You with a harp, and Your truth, my God; I will sing praises to You with the lyre, Holy One of Israel. My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You; and my soul, which You have redeemed.”  (Ps. 71:22-23). “Sing for joy to God our strength; shout joyfully to the God of Jacob.” (Ps. 81:1). “It is good to give thanks to the LORD and to sing praises to Your name, Most High;” (Ps. 92:1). “I rejoice at Your word, like one who finds great plunder.”  (Ps. 119:162). “Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant and praise is beautiful.” (Ps. 147:1). The New Testament also exhorts you to rejoice in God’s holy character: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4). The repeated emphasis is for you to offer joyful praise. Thus, if you are merely going through the motions when you worship, examine your heart.  God deserves far more from you.

  • Praise Jesus for the abundant life He offers.  Believers are not offered a life that is free from moments of tragedy, sorrow, loss, or trials.  Nevertheless, Jesus offers you “abundant” life:  “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.”  (Jo. 10:10).  “You have crowned the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with fatness.”  (Ps. 65:11). Again, you should respond to the abundant life that Jesus offers with joyful songs of praise and worship.

2. Serve: Joyful Service Should be an Expression of Your Worship. Ps. 100:2a.

  • Let your worship include joyful service. The psalmist urged believers to show their love for God by joyfully serving Him: “2 Serve the Lord with jubilation; . . .” (Ps. 100:2a). Jesus showed His love by becoming a servant: “As for the true believer in Jesus, He serves His God because He loves to serve Him; He assembles with the great congregation because it is his delight to worship the Most High.” (Charles Spurgeon on Ps. 100:2).4

As our example, Jesus loved and served those in need5

  • Respond to the joy God offers by serving with joy. If you love God and want to worship Him, you can also express your love for Him by helping His people when they are in need. You show your love for God when you: “do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8). “Learn to do good, seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, [and] plead for the widow.” (Is. 1:17). “Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.” (Prov. 31:9). “The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor, the wicked does not understand such concern.” (Prov. 29:7). “He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker, but he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.” (Prov. 14:31). “Vindicate the weak and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and destitute.” (Ps. 82:3). “He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.” (Dt. 10:18). “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” (Jam. 1:27). Would Jesus see your love for Him through your service to people in need?

  • Those who live for themselves and fail to serve God are frequently unhappy. Serving God is actually a command under His law: “And it shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul,” (Dt. 11:13). The failure to serve God resulted in many of His people experiencing the curse of a self-centered life without a real love for Him: “And they will become a sign and a wonder against you and your descendants forever. Since you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and a cheerful heart, in gratitude for the abundance of all things, (Dt. 28:46-47).

3. Come: Seeking God Should be an Expression of Your Worship. Ps. 100:2a.

  • Let your worship include seeking God. The psalmist also urged believers to “come” to God with joyful worship: “2 . . . come before Him with rejoicing.” (Ps. 100:2a). Every person starts off separated from God because of sin. Each person must accept His call to turn from sin and pursue a relationship with Him. Worship isn’t sincere without this step.

  • Worship God by seeking out a relationship with Him. Throughout the Bible, God called upon believers to seek Him out and worship Him: “Let’s come before His presence with a song of thanksgiving, let’s shout joyfully to Him in songs with instruments.” (Ps. 95:2). “You there! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” (Is. 55:1). “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28). “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.”’ (Jo. 7:37). Does your worship include seeking out an ever deeper relationship with Jesus?

  • If you seek God with all your heart and soul, you will find Him. God rewards those who diligently seek Him: “But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.” (Dt. 4:29). “I love those who love me; and those who diligently seek me will find me.” (Prov. 8:17). “And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jer. 29:13). Does your worship include diligently seeking God?

4. Know: Desiring to Know God is An Expression of Your Worship. Ps. 100:3.

  • Let your worship include a desire to know God better. In reference to God as the covenant creator, the psalmist urged believers to seek to “know” Him as their God: “3 Know that the Lord Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” (Ps. 100:3). If your worship includes a desire to “know” God, it must include a life-long journey to learn more about Him.

God is Good! All the Time! – Praying Psalm 100 – Counting My Blessings

Seeking to know God should be an expression of your worship6

  • Seek to know God by studying His Word. Worship without God’s Word does not honor Him. The study of His Word and prayer are the means He gave you to learn about Him. If you delight in studying about God, He will give you the desires of your heart: “Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Ps. 37:4).

  • Know that Jesus made you out of love, and He offers to make you a new creation in Him. The psalmist declared that God “made us, and not we ourselves;” (Ps. 100:3). Jesus made you with love in your mother’s womb: “I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.” (Ps. 139:14). If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He has also made you a new creation in Him:  “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”  (2 Cor. 5:17; Ro. 6:4).  But you must work to make sure that you do not corrupt what that Jesus has created:  “and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”  (Eph. 4:24).  Are you living as a new creation in Jesus (Ro. 12:2)?

  • Humble yourself before the Good Shepherd. The psalmist also called believers “the sheep of His pasture.” (Ps. 100:3). David and other psalmists also declared: “we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.” (Ps. 95:7). “So we Your people and the sheep of Your pasture will give thanks to You forever; to all generations we will tell of Your praise.” (Ps. 79:13). This means that we often make poor choices: “For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” (1 Pet. 2:25). Jesus wants you to humble yourself and declare Him to be your shepherd: “The LORD is my shepherd, I will not be in need.” (Ps. 23:1). He is the Good Shepherd who laid His life down to save His sheep: “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” (Jo. 10:11). Being called “sheep” may offend some who feel independent and proud of their abilities and accomplishments. But, if you are humble, you will see yourself like a sheep before Jesus.

  • Show that you “love” and “know” Jesus by obeying Him out of love and not obligation. Jesus says that if you love Him, you will keep His “Commandments”:  “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”  (Jo. 14:15, 21; 15:10; 1 Jo. 5:3; 2 Jo. 1:6).  “[I]f you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”  (Matt. 19:17).  He is the great “I AM” who gave Moses the Ten Commandments  (Jo. 8:58; Ex. 3:14).  But Jesus came to correct people’s motives in following the Ten Commandments.  He wants your obedience to be motivated by love and not obligation.  He therefore summarized the Ten Commandments as something that comes naturally once a person loves the Lord and his or her neighbor  (Matt. 22:35-38; Lk. 10:27; Dt. 6:5).  Moses taught us to live obediently as it is written.  Jesus taught us to love obediently as it is written.  Whether we keep the Ten Commandments out of love (and not obligation) is also the test regarding whether we really “know” Jesus:  “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.”  (1 Jo. 2:3).  Some will come to Jesus boasting of their works or compliance with the Law.  Yet, if their works or their compliance with the Law was not motivated by a love for Him, He may respond “I never knew you.”  (Matt. 7:23).  If you obey the Law for the right reasons, you become a slave to righteousness.  If you do not obey the Law, you become a slave to sin (Ro. 6:12, 16; Jo. 8:34). If you really want to worship God, you can show that you love Him and “know” Him by obeying Him.

  • Jesus also knows His sheep.  The psalms are all about Jesus.  He “knows” every person that He has made “righteous”, and He will carefully protect them as the Good Shepherd: “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own, and My own know Me,”  (Jo. 10:14).  The evidence that Jesus is your Shepherd is evidenced through your obedience to His voice: “My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;”  (Jo. 10:27). Does your worship include following His will for your life?

  • David also proclaimed that God was his Shepherd.  To demonstrate both God’s loving nature and his desire to obey Him, David referred to God with endearment as his Shepherd:  “The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.  A Psalm of David.  1The Lord is my shepherd . . .”  (Ps. 23:1a).  A shepherd’s love for his or her sheep is not an image that is well known to most people in modern times.  But the image of God loving His flock the same way a shepherd loves his or her flock is captured through imagery in the Book of Isaiah:  “Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in the fold of His robe; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.”  (Is. 40:11). The message is that God loves you, and you belong to Him alone.

  • The Good Shepherd loved His flock enough to sacrifice His life for His lost sheep. Moses was the first to call God the “Shepherd” of Israel (Gen. 49:24).  Jesus later revealed that He is the “Good Shepherd”:  “11a I am the good shepherd;  . . .”  (Jo. 10:11a).  The author of Hebrews also calls Him the “great Shepherd”:  “Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, that is, Jesus our Lord,”  (Heb. 13:20).  Peter also called Jesus the “Chief Shepherd”:  “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”  (1 Pet. 5:4).  A good shepherd is willing to risk his life to save his sheep.  As our Good Shepherd, Jesus loved His flock enough to die to save them:  “11b the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”  (Jo. 10:11b).  He died for everyone at the cross so that all who believe can be members of His flock (Jo. 3:16). Thus, He is worthy of your worship and your obedience.

“ The Lord is my shepherd . . .” (Ps. 23:1)7

  • The Good Shepherd seeks to reclaim all His lost sheep.  Without a shepherd, sheep will wander off.  Sin also makes us behave like aimless sheep.  Our Good Shepherd has come to reclaim His lost sheep:  “All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the wrongdoing of us all to fall on Him.”  (Is. 53:6).  “As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day.”  (Ezek. 34:12).  “But He answered and said, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’”  (Matt. 15:24).  Like sheep, we must also respond to our Shepherd’s call: “For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” (1 Pet. 2:25). “For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice,  (Ps. 95:5).  “He again sets a certain day, ‘Today,’ saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, ‘Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”’ (Heb. 4:7).  Have you responded to His call?

  • The Good Shepherd paid a terrible price to purchase His flock.  Our Good Shepherd also purchased His flock at the cost of a brutal death at the cross:  “For you have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”  (1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23).  Thus, Jesus is not like a “hired hand” or false shepherds who care about themselves and will abandon the flock at the first sign of danger:  “12 He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.”  (Jo. 11:12-13).  Unlike a hired hand or a false shepherd, Jesus will never leave nor forsake His flock:  “14 I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.”  (Jo. 10:14-15).  Thus, He loves and cares for His flock.

The Good Shepherd seeks to reclaim His lost sheep8

  • For Jesus to be your Good Shepherd, you must accept that He is also your master.  To some, it offends their pride to be called “sheep”.  But Jesus wants you to accept that He is your Shepherd the same way that David called Yahweh “my shepherd”  (Ps. 23:1a).  This means praising Jesus because He is your loving Master:  “So we Your people and the sheep of Your pasture will give thanks to You forever; to all generations we will tell of Your praise.”  (Ps. 79:13).  “Know that the LORD Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”  (Ps. 100:3). Does your worship include letting Jesus by Lord over every aspect of your life?

5. Enter His Gates: Seeking the Fellowship of God’s Presence Should Be An Expression of Your Worship. Ps. 100:4a.

  • Let your worship be expressed through a desire to seek out God’s presence. The psalmist also urged believers to enter the gates of God’s temple (the place where His presence once resided), to seek Him out His presence with thanksgiving and praise: “4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courtyards with praise. . ..” (Ps. 100:4a). Believers were urged to go “into his courts with praise; with the sacrifice of praise, as in Psalm 96:8, of these courts, see Psalm 65:4, be thankful unto him; for all blessings of grace in him and by him; for all things, and at all times:” (Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible).9

What Does Psalm 100:4 Mean?

Seek out God’s presence with thanksgiving10

  • The temple was God’s “house” where His glory could dwell with His people.  The temple was called the “house” of the Lord (1 Kgs. 6:2).  It was meant to be a place of atonement, worship, and fellowship. God dwells in heaven (Is. 66:1; Acts 7:48-49).  But He allowed His glory to dwell in Israel with the Jews.  First, His glory dwelt in the Tabernacle “Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.”  (Ex. 25:8).  “I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God.”  (Ex. 29:45).  ‘“I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.”’ (Lev. 26:12).   His presence later filled the Temple:  “so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.” (1 Kgs. 8:11).  But the sin of the Jews later forced God to remove His holy presence from Israel (Ezek. 11:23).

  • The temple foreshadowed Jesus.  Jesus is our Temple  (Rev. 21:22).  The Temple that Solomon built therefore was in honor of Him.  In the book of Chronicles, the Bible reveals that “Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.  He began to build on the second day in the second month of the fourth year of his reign.”  (2 Chr. 3:1-2; 2 Sam. 24:24).  The Temple was the place where people came to find atonement.  On Mount Moriah, Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice (Gen. 22:1-19).  Here, Jesus also made the ultimate sacrifice so that all who believe could live (Jo. 3:16). With His atoning death, He opened both the gates and the Holy of Holies to you (Heb. 10:10). Thus, the invitation is there for you to seek Jesus, worship Him, and fellowship with Him.

  • Worshiping Jesus should include seeking out His fellowship. As part of your walk with Jesus, He wants you to seek out the fellowship that He offers: “God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Cor. 1:9). Merely accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior is not enough to be in fellowship with Him. You must accept Jesus’ invitation for a deeper relationship: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” (Rev. 3:20). Does your worship include seeking out Jesus’ invitation for a deeper relationship and true fellowship with Him?

6. Gratitude: Giving Thanks Should be Part of Your Worship. Ps. 100:4b.

  • Let your worship be expressed through gratitude. The psalmist further urged believers to contemplate the many reasons to be grateful as they worshiped God: “4  . . . Give thanks to Him,  . . .” (Ps. 100:4b). Life can be filled with trials, sorrow, and tragedy. If you are feeling depressed or anxious, focus on God’s many blessings that you are thankful for.

  • Worship with thanksgiving.  If you fail to make a habit of thanking God, you may take His blessings for granted.  Even in times when he was jailed and persecuted, Paul worshiped God and gave thanks: “always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father;”  (Eph. 5:20). “Let’s come before His presence with a song of thanksgiving, let’s shout joyfully to Him in songs with instruments.” (Ps. 95:2). “Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praises to our God on the lyre;” (Ps. 147:7). If it is not your habit to thank God for everything, stop and examine your heart.

7. Blessing God: Bless God Through Your Worship For His Goodness, Mercy, and His Faithfulness. Ps. 100:4c-5.

  • Let your worship be a blessing to God. Because of who God is, the psalmist urged believers to: “4 . . . bless His name. 5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting and His faithfulness is to all generations.” (Ps. 100:4c-5). This “is a public praise that elevates and enhances the LORD in the minds of the people. The object of this blessing is ‘His name,’ that is His character and His acts (s.v. Ps. 20:1). The clear understanding of His ‘name’ reminds worshipers of the proper focus and emphasis of praise. The public acknowledgment and blessing of the LORD God is based on His nature that is revealed through His wonderful works. These great works the faithful are to acknowledge publicly, in a way that He receives all the glory.” (Allen Ross on Ps. 100:4-5).11

  • Bless God’s holy name because He is good. David also praised God for His “goodness” and “faithfulness” “Certainly goodness and faithfulness will follow me all the days of my life,  and my dwelling will be in the house of the Lord forever.”  (Ps. 23:6).  “Thanks and praise are right in recognition of God’s goodness. He is good in His plans, good in His grace, good in His forgiveness, good in His covenant, and good in every aspect of His being.” (David Guzik on Ps. 100:5) (italics in original).12

  • Bless God’s holy name because He is merciful. Even though every person deserves to die for their sins, you can give thanks that God is filled with mercy each time you repent and return to Him: “The Lord’s acts of mercy indeed do not end, for His compassions do not fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” (Lam. 3:22-23). “Then you will say on that day, “I will give thanks to You, LORD; for although You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.” (Is. 12:1). “For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will gather you.” (Is. 54:7). He is merciful in the face of our sins because he is filled with compassion and love: “For the LORD your God is a compassionate God; He will not abandon you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.” (Dt. 4:31). God is merciful because He loves you. Thus, He deserves your praise: “So long as we are receivers of mercy, we must be givers of thanks.” (Charles Spurgeon on Ps. 100:5).13

  • Give thanks that Jesus died to give you mercy. Believers can receive mercy by faith in the punishment that Jesus took at the cross for every believer: “But He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; the punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” (Is. 53:5). “and He Himself brought our sins in His body up on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by His wounds you were healed.” (1 Pet. 2:24). You can also show your gratitude for His sacrifice by making your life a living sacrifice to Him (Ro. 12:1).

  • Bless God’s holy name because He is faithful. You can bless God by being faithful to Him. If you are faithful, He will praise you in heaven: “All men’s hope is in God's ‘faithfulness,’ that he will keep his promises to them - pardon them, deliver them, cleanse them, and give them rest in his kingdom forever.” (Pulpit Commentary on Ps. 100:5).14 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.”’  (Matt. 25:21).  Have you given God many reasons to celebrate your faith in heaven?  

  • Don’t forsake the fellowship and accountability that comes from corporate worship. Believers are warned to avoid forsaking the fellowship of a church setting with other believers: “not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Heb. 10:25). “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42). Corporate worship also helps to ensure that you can be encouraged in times of need and held accountable.

  • Worship also helps to attract others to Jesus. You are the only Bible that some will ever read. If others see you respond to a trial with faith, joy, and gratitude, they may be attracted to the hope that lies within you. Do others see Jesus in your worship life?

  1. James M. Hamilton Jr., Evangelical Bible Theology Commentary Psalms (Vol. II: Psalms 73-150) (Lexham Academic 2021) p. 205.↩︎

  11. Allen Ross, A Commentary of the Psalms: Volume 3 (90-150), Kregel Academic (2016) p. 191-92.↩︎