529_Worshipping God with a new song

Psalm 96 Oh sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth!

10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.”

11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12 let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 before the Lord, for he comes,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
and the peoples in his faithfulness.

At one point George Frideric Handel, the great composer, was in despair. His health was failing, his finances were ruined, and he felt forgotten. One day, a friend handed him an opera script, composed entirely of Bible verses arranged to tell the story of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. As Handel read through it, his heart was deeply stirred. In just 24 days, he composed the entire masterpiece we now know as Messiah. When people praised him for it, he simply said, “I should be sorry if I only entertained them. I wished to make them better.”

Psalm 96 calls us to worship God with a new song, not just to enjoy the melody but to remember and renew our experience of the living God. It speaks of worship not as a mechanical act, but a dynamic act flowing from our relationship with God.

The psalm echoes the song of David when the ark of the covenant was brought into Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 16:23–33). It instructs and invites, not only Israel, but all the earth, to worship the Lord.

The psalm begins: “Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.” The new song is not just an original composition. When God moves in our lives—when He rescues, forgives, strengthens, or comforts us—the natural response is praise. As Psalm 42:8 reminds us, “By day the Lord directs his love, by night his song is with me.”

True worship begins with an encounter. It is not about how skillful our voices are, nor about how polished our music is. Without the heart, our songs are hollow. But when we’ve tasted God’s goodness, praise becomes rich and beautiful. Scripture records so many spontaneous songs: the song of Moses and the people when God parted the Red Sea, the song of Hannah when God gave her a son, the song of Mary when Elizabeth recognized the work of God in Mary’s womb. Each of these new songs rose from a new work of God in their lives.

Therefore, we “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!” Worship is not only upward; it is outward. In declaring God’s glory, we are not just enjoying Him ourselves—we declare his glory so that others may taste his goodness too. Creation already declares His glory. But God’s people testify to His salvation, His love, His faithfulness.

For God chose us to this end: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). When touched and led by God, our lives are marked by love, kindness, forgiveness, and patience. They then speak of God’s glory as powerfully as the gospel words we speak. To worship God is to let our lives sing as loudly as our lips.

And what a contrast is drawn between the Lord and the false gods of the nations: “For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens.” There is no god but the Lord, the Creator, who has power, life and fulness. He challenges the idols: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Who is like me? Let him proclaim it” (Isaiah 44:6–7). The idols cannot tell the past, nor predict the future. Only the eternal God reigns over time itself. Worship, therefore, is not optional—it is aligning our lives with the one true reality of the universe.

Therefore, the psalm continues to call the nations to worship the one true God: “Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!” We cannot add to the glory of the Lord, we simply recognize what already is – His glory and strength, the eternity of his reign. Worship does not inflate Him—it awakens us to reality.

And this truth is to be proclaimed with boldness. “Say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.’” This comforts us with a sense of God’s unshakable justice and righteousness. He does not favor the rich over the poor, or the powerful over the weak. His judgments are true and fair. But it is also a warning—because His justice will come. Israel was judged for her unfaithfulness, when they repeatedly turned from their God, yet they were not abandoned. His faithfulness endured even when they were faithless. Through Christ, that faithfulness sustains the gracious promise: “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

The psalm concludes with a breathtaking vision of all creation joining in worship. “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes.” The entire universe holds its breath, waiting for the day when the Creator returns to set all things right. As Romans 8 declares: “The creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” And Isaiah paints the picture: “The mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands” (Isaiah 55:12).

We are privileged today, right now, to participate in this universal unbridled worship. This is our one true calling. We who walk in the light of life with Christ, the Light of the world, carry his image. As the Spirit of God indwells us, we mature into the image of our Lord and bear fruit to him. Each act of faithfulness, each step of obedience, each word of love, joy, and peace, is part of our new song to God.

Let us never reduce worship to Sunday morning singing, or to a playlist on our phones. Every day is an opportunity to sing a new song, not just with our music, but with our actions, our choices, our obedience. It may be forgiving someone who wronged you. It might be choosing patience with a child, or showing kindness to a stranger. Each fresh taste of grace becomes another verse in the never-ending song of worship.

Maybe you feel tired and discouraged today like Handel once did. But as he did, let scripture remind you: God still reigns. As we lift up our voices—not just in melody, but in heart, in obedience, in love—we join the song that began before the foundations of the earth and will continue for all eternity.

One day, the trees will clap their hands, the seas will roar, and the heavens will rejoice. But today, you and I can begin the chorus.