Moments to Ponder

Episode 98: The Power and Posture of Worship in Psalm 95

• Betsy Marvin • Season 13 • Episode 98

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As I stood amidst a crowd of uplifted faces and raised hands, the pure joy of worship was undeniable. It led me to ponder the profound impact of our spiritual practices, which I'm excited to share with you through the timeless words of Psalm 95. Join me on a journey exploring the multifaceted nature of worship—beyond the melodies, it's a physical and spiritual dance with the Divine. We'll uncover the depths of the Hebrew words for worship, revealing a posture of reverence that's as much about listening and obeying as it is about singing praises. This episode is a heartfelt invitation to experience worship that engages every part of your being, urging you to respond to God's call with more than just your voice.

The second half of this episode takes a contemplative turn, examining the stark warning against hard-heartedness found within the same Psalm. It's a call to action, encouraging each of us to live our daily lives as expressions of worship—through obedience, trust, and the recognition of God's omnipotent presence. I invite you to discover the profound implications of kneeling in prayer or lifting your hands in surrender, and how these acts can dramatically shape your spiritual walk. Let's embrace the full spectrum of worship, from the peaks of exuberant praise to the valleys of somber reflection, as we learn to honor God with our entire being.

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Speaker 1:

Hi friends, welcome to Moments to Ponder. This is a podcast designed to help you spend a few moments in God's Word and take away something to ponder. We live in a loud, busy world and it can be hard to find time to take in God's Word, so I thank you for joining me to take a few moments to ponder the Psalms together. I'm Betsy Marvin and this is Episode 98. Come on everyone, let's sing joy to the Lord. Let's shout our loudest praises to our God who saves us.

Speaker 1:

This Sunday morning I stood in a room with over 850 students and leaders singing in praise to Jesus. Next to me was a middle school aged young man who was truly singing at the top of his lungs in his full, off-key voice. At first, I have to admit, I thought he was just being a goofy middle schooler. So I glanced over at him and I saw his leader on the other side with a huge smile on his face. We all saying there's joy in the house of the Lord and we won't be quiet. We shout out your praise. He was for sure shouting out his praise. I couldn't help but smile as well. If only we all could experience that kind of joy and freedom in music that when we sing, that there's joy in the house of the Lord, that we would mean it and feel it and express it. It was a moment of worship. I know that worship isn't just music, but in that moment there was a feeling and expression of adoration for Jesus all across the room, which is the definition of worship. There is just something about music. We can be in an arena with thousands of strangers, but when sweet Caroline starts up, you can't help but join in as everyone loudly sings so good, so good, so good. I mean whether it's a song that makes your feet move in the grocery store or one that brings tears to your eyes as you drive down the road. Music can move us both emotionally and physically. As we work through the Psalms, I find myself wondering about the music behind these words, as these songs were sung over and over in the temple or on wash day, or as lullabies over their children. Was the music soulful and slow? Were some loud and full, bringing a sense of joy with them? Much like my moment last Sunday? I think Psalm 95 would have been one of the latter.

Speaker 1:

So, as we open our hearts to take in Psalm 95, let's take a deep breath, center ourselves and hear the words from our Psalmist today. Come, let us sing to the Lord, let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come to Him with thanksgiving, let us sing psalms of praise to Him, for the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. He holds in His hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains. The sea belongs to Him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land too. Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker, for he is our God. We are the people he watches over the flock under His care. If only you would listen to His voice. Today the Lord says Don't harden your hearts, as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Masa in the wilderness, for there your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw everything I did For forty years. I was angry with them and I said these are people whose hearts turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them. So in my anger, I took an oath they will never enter my place of rest. Did you feel the shift in that psalm? About halfway through, the joyful praise becomes a strong reminder Sing, shout, come, kneel, bow, choose to listen, trust, obey For our time together.

Speaker 1:

Today, we're going to focus in on one verse from each of these sections Verse 6 and verse 8. Verse 6 says this Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker. The psalmist knows that it's not just the words but the posture that honors God. There's something physical and spiritual here. Come, let us worship and bow and kneel. So let's take this a little deeper. Come, let us worship.

Speaker 1:

In the Hebrew is shachah. The action is to prostrate ourselves in the highest act of adoration. It's acknowledging the supremacy of God. Bow down is kharah, which is to physically crouch down, bending the legs underneath you, as to recognize the one who is in command. Let us kneel barak. Yes, the action of our knees to the ground, but a posture that is supplication or humility.

Speaker 1:

We don't kneel and bow much in our culture today, but there is such honor in it Physically bending our knees in worship and awe before the one who made us and acknowledging his sovereignty and his place as Lord, being in full humility, in obedience ourselves, at the same time shouting his name and celebrating with gratitude. That's worship. It brings to mind both the image of joy with standing our arms raised and kneeling in awe with our face to the ground. We are so quick to take a posture of standing in joy. We see it in sports arenas, we see it in concerts and sometimes we see it in our churches. But I wonder, how often do we kneel in awe and humility as a form of worship in our Protestant churches?

Speaker 1:

The Psalm goes on to remind us that even the most joy-filled worship loses its value if we don't also listen to God's voice. There is that vocal element and the physical act of bowing and kneeling, but we also need the quiet, the listening to God, with the open heart of trust within us. Verses 7 through 9 say this if only you would listen to his voice today. The Lord says don't harden your hearts as Israel did at Meraba, as they did at Massa in the wilderness, for there your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw everything I did. The mention of Meraba and Massa may not be familiar to you, but for the people of Israel these were significant places in the history of their ancestors.

Speaker 1:

In Exodus 17 we find the Israelites in Meraba. They had new ly, entered the wilderness after all the signs and wonders of Egypt, but they're tired and thirsty and doubt-filled. They complained to Moses, arguing against God. And although God does bring water from Iraq, he vows that they will not enter the Promised Land, which we read at the end of Psalm 95. Later, in Numbers, chapter 20, we find that the Israelites are at Massa and they're in the same situation. It's just 40 years later, it's a new generation and they're angry and they're thirsty. This time Moses and Aaron go to God with a situation and God instructs Moses to speak to the rock, but Moses, in his own frustration, hits the rock instead. Water does flow, but Moses' disobedience here would keep him from entering the land of promise himself. These two places changed the course of the Israelites' lives and the life of Moses. They both involved a rock and distrust, but it is incredible, grace and care does save them. But what does any of that have to do with us today?

Speaker 1:

The first part of the Psalm we understand worship. We do that in our churches. But what about this other piece? Well, first we need to remember that God is still our rock of salvation. Our Psalmist uses this descriptor of God in verse 1, reminding us that God is our rock, a strong foundation from whom life-saving water flows and we can depend on him. Next, god is saying to us don't be like your ancestors, with heart and hearts. Don't doubt my power in love. Know that I care about you and you can trust me.

Speaker 1:

But how often do we continue to do just what the Israelites did? We complain to God and we complain about God. We want what we want and we think God should supply it. We wonder when is he ever going to do something? So we do it ourselves. We build walls of criticism, refuse to show any emotion in regards to spiritual things, we distract ourselves with silly entertainment rather than face hard things, or we indulge in a favorite sin. This is hardening our hearts and we want to show them we mean business. So we withhold our worship and we don't attend Church. How God must shake His head at us when we assume we know better. We think we know how God is going to write our story, but in reality we don't know. He didn't put us in charge, and that's a good thing.

Speaker 1:

The urgency in these ending verses push us past the music, toward more. Yes, worship is the feeling and expression of adoration, adoration for our Creator, who is the rock of our salvation, the one who watches over us. But we need to not only sing about it. We need to express our worship through lives of obedience and trust. It's bending our will to His, listening to His voice and honoring His work in and around us.

Speaker 1:

As you move through this week, I encourage you to keep your heart open to His voice. Take a moment and shout for joy and gratitude. Try praying on your knees this week or lifting your hands in song. Notice how your heart reacts when you're physically expressing what's within you. Now, dear one, take a breath and, if you're able, bow your head, open your hands and take this in Everyone. Come meet His face with a thankful heart. Don't hold back your praises. Make Him great by your shouts of joy, for the Lord is the greatest of all, king God over all other gods. In one hand he holds the mysteries of the earth and in the other he holds the highest mountain peaks. He's the owner of every ocean, the engineer and sculptor of earth itself. Come and kneel before this Creator God. Come and bow before the mighty God, our majestic maker, for we are those he cares for and he is the God we worship. Amen.