God Is Still Doing – Psalm 98

A text – Psalm 98

98:1 O sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory.
98:2 The LORD has made known his victory; he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
98:3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
98:4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
98:5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody.
98:6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD.
98:7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who live in it.
98:8 Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy
98:9 at the presence of the LORD, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

A reflection:

We live in a time when some people still believe God is up to something, but when perhaps more people believe God isn’t doing anything and hasn’t for a very long time. If God ever did.

If God is not doing anything, this psalm of praise for God’s victory seems pretty hollow or at least pretty long-ago-and-far-away. God here has remembered his love and faithfulness to Israel and the whole world has seen it. And not just the people God has saved, or all the people of the world. Also the sea and the hills! Whoever wrote this psalm must have begged and prayed for victory and vindication for a long, long time, and when the Lord triumphed, it was the whole earth that celebrated.

When have you felt this joyous? When have you known the coming true of a long-held desire? When has victory overcome suffering? If you, too have felt this, doesn’t it feel just this way?

Do you believe God is doing things, even today? Do you believe that it is possible for prayers to be answered and uplifting triumph be felt? How would that feel for you? If we are living mostly lives with little suffering or living in much comfort, we may not know anymore how it feels to want something very very much. But if that longed-for thing arrived, came true – how would we celebrate? And would we remember immediately to thank God for that gift, that victory? If we don’t think God is there, then no. But if we think God is there and waiting to be in relationship to us, wouldn’t it be wonderful to thank God for those joys we receive?

Today I want to experience gratitude for something in my life, and I want to thank God for bringing it to me. I want to have a gratitude talk with God to confess that I believe God is still not only being, but doing.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for actually being there to listen to us, to care about what we care about, and to give to us the good gifts you know we need. Be patient with us when we forget the source of our good gifts, and please receive us when we remember you and thank you.    Amen.