Introduction
Psalm 95: The psalm writer calls worshipers to come before God with thanksgiving and songs of praise. God is a mighty king who rules over all creation, and humankind is compared to a flock for which God cares. The writer encourages people to listen to God’s voice and to obey God’s commands.
Today’s Key Verse: Psalm 95:6
Come, let us bow down and worship him; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
Reading
95 Come, let us praise the Lord!
Let us sing for joy to God, who protects us!
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and sing joyful songs of praise.
3 For the Lord is a mighty God,
a mighty king over all the gods.
4 He rules over the whole earth,
from the deepest caves to the highest hills.
5 He rules over the sea, which he made;
the land also, which he himself formed.
6 Come, let us bow down and worship him;
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
7 He is our God;
we are the people he cares for,
the flock for which he provides.
Listen today to what he says:
8 “Don’t be stubborn, as your ancestors were at Meribah,
as they were that day in the desert at Massah.
9 There they put me to the test and tried me,
although they had seen what I did for them.
10 For forty years I was disgusted with those people.
I said, ‘How disloyal they are!
They refuse to obey my commands.’
11 I was angry and made a solemn promise:
‘You will never enter the land
where I would have given you rest.’”
Reflect
Reread verses 7–11. Sheep normally listen to their shepherd and know his voice (John 10:4), but this passage describes a time when God’s people did not listen. The psalm writer uses this memory to call people to obey God “today” (verse 7). How do you listen for God’s voice? In what ways does God speak to you today?
Pray
God of grace and mercy, there are times in my life when I have failed to listen to your voice. Forgive me. Keep my praise always in line with my obedience to your word so that I may serve you faithfully and joyfully. Amen.
Tomorrow’s Reading
Psalm 97: A psalm celebrating God as king of the universe.
