Tell Out My Soul

Psalm 95

“O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God, 
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.”

Today during worship, we dived into Psalm 95 and what a glorious experience it was to look deeply into these beautiful verses. There’s energy, excitement and grandeur in every word, and such a huge sense of belonging and security. He is our God, and there is no other. We belong to him and him alone, for we are the sheep of his pasture. The shepherd protects, guards and nurtures, and his loyalty is without measure. God gives us so much and yet so many still turn away and have false gods in their lives; how this must pain the Lord.

When we read these verses and feel them in our hearts, we reaffirm our relationship to God and we secure the foundations of our faith no matter what happens, and no matter what trials befall us as individuals, and also as a body in Christ. We are his flock, and we do not act alone. Faith in God means that we are part of something greater, something much bigger than ourselves, and more empowering than we can imagine. Pride is a sin that elevates the individual above all else, but it destroys the individual from the inside out. When people rely only on themselves and convince themselves that there is no other authority greater than them, then this is the recipe for a sure downfall. One needs must acknowledge a greater will, and a greater power, and this knowledge frees a person, and allows them to soar so much higher. God’s arms are waiting, there is no need to go it alone, and it its through God’s power that he raises us up.

God formed the heavens, the earth, the seas and everything in them. How can we not bow down to his majesty? How can we not lower ourselves in order to glorify him? Sometimes one can feel very small in the face of this awesome power and might, but love fills us up. God’s love magnifies us so that we can become one with him, so that even while we submit to his perfect will, we are simultaneously elevated through our humility and devotion.

As Matthew reminds us in Jesus’ words: “So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.” (Matt 20:16)