Lent 2014 - March 20

MARCH 20 – Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9
By: Susan Wollner

1 Come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come to him with thanksgiving.
Let us sing psalms of praise to him.
6 Come, let us worship and bow down.
Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,
7 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!
8 The Lord says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah,
as they did at Massah in the wilderness.
9 For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
even though they saw everything I did.

The psalmist begins by calling all to sing for joy to the Lord and come before him with thanksgiving. We are called to extol God with music and song. When I read this I thought of how blessed we are at St. Stephen to be able to do that with the wonderful musicians and many talented people who share their talents in praise of God. Whether you have been given a musical talent to share or a worshiping heart to praise we all have the opportunity to praise God.

A few verses later the psalmist tells us that we should not harden our hearts to God as the Israelites did when they quarreled and complained to Moses because there was no water at Rephidim. They did not trust the Lord to take care of them. When we do not trust it is harder to hear the spirit of the Lord and rejoice in His love. We too should not quarrel or complain but we should trust and praise God.

Prayer
Dear Lord, As we remember you and the gift of your Son, Jesus, help us to have trust in you and do not let our hearts harden so that we may know your Holy Spirit. Encourage us to worship you in music and in song. Keep our hearts alive in your word and our voices strong in praise of you. Thanks be to you our glorious God. Amen.