by Coach Debbie

As a Christian, do you feel a little blah about your walk with God?  Is it boring or bland?  Chances are, if God suddenly seems small(er) or less appealing, WE are the culprit.  I want to offer 3 perspectives that may help put a spring back in your step!  Let’s SING about our SALVATION!  We have much to celebrate as believers in Christ!

First, let’s read Psalm 98.  And let me say, it’s SO easy to just read the Bible without pausing to meditate on its content.  So before you skim this Psalm (which is what I did at first, sigh), I’m asking you to get focused and even read it aloud to absorb more of what it has to say.

Psalm 98
1Sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
2The Lord has made his salvation known
and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
3He has remembered his love
and his faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.

4Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
5make music to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
6with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—
shout for joy before the Lord, the King.

7Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
8Let the rivers clap their hands,
let the mountains sing together for joy;
9let them sing before the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.

#1 SALVATION

 (verse 1:  “his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him”)

(verse 2:  “The Lord has made his salvation known”)

 (verse 3:  “all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God”

Salvation begins and ends with God.  It is all HIS doing, not ours.  His Word says it is done by His “right hand” and “holy arm.”  (see Exodus 15:6, Isaiah 52:10)

He has made His salvation known.  It is not a secret for us to at some point uncover.  Because His salvation is not a secret, we are without excuse for believing.

All of the earth has seen His salvation.  All of the earth.  All.  This includes His righteousness, His works, and His faithfulness.  No excuses.

 #2 TENSE (grammar, not stress)

 Notice the verb tenses used in verses 1-3:

• Has done
• Has worked
• Has made
• Have seen

Let’s get complicated.  Those 4 verbs are written in present perfect tense. Uh, who cares? Hang tight.  Present perfect tense (has done, has worked, has made, have seen) means you take the PRESENT tense of a verb (think:  NOW) and add the PAST participle of the verb (think: PAST).Uh, who cares? Isn’t it cool that God’s word is both applicable THEN and NOW.   It is finished and absolute and complete; it is also current for us today.

Let’s apply all that.  He has done marvelous things…in the past and even today.  His arm has worked salvation…on the cross back then and available today for all.  He has made His salvation known…since the days of Adam until right in this moment, He is clearly making all aware.  All the earth has seen His salvation…stars in the sky, the smile of a baby, the power of a storm….timeless.

He is then and He is now.  This is NOT a FUTURE thing.  How different things would read if He had said, “I will do marvelous things,but not yet.”  Or, “I will work salvation for him, but until then you are stuck in your sin.”  What if He’d said, “I will make my salvation known, but for now just search and search and wonder.”

 #3 SONG

Here’s a tallied list of music vocab used in this one Psalm:

• Sing – 4 times
• Song – 2 times
• Music – 2 times
• Shout for joy – 2 times
• Harps
• Trumpets
• Horn
• Rivers clap
• Mountains sing

SALVATION AND SONG GO TOGETHER!!!! Reread that.  Again.

"Are we singing about our salvation?

Are we rejoicing that we accepted His invitation and get the privilege of gazing at His holiness for eternity?

Are we so thrilled that it is contagious to nonbelievers?"

Verse 1 reads:   Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.

Verse 1 references Exodus 15:6 and Isaiah 52:10.

Exodus 15:6 is when Moses and the Israelites *SANG* this to God: “Your right hand, Lord, was majestic in power.” (emphasis mine)

Isaiah 52:9-10 reads, “Burst into *SONGS OF JOY* together…for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.   The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see
the salvation of our God.” (emphasis mine)

 Exodus and Isaiah are conveying that SINGING and SALVATION go hand-in-hand. It’s a marriage of God and us. We can’t help but squeal with rhythmic delight that He loves us and has saved us!

Are we singing about our salvation?