Psalm 96 opens with an invitation to celebrate God. This is what praise is: an act of celebration. It is not just some solemn duty. It is an expression of enjoyment. The Westminster Shorter Catechism famously states: “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” The Christian life and the Christian community should be characterised by enjoyment. It should not be a stern and solemn affair. There are of course times for sadness and grief, but even through all this we have something wonderful to celebrate. Through all the hardships and losses of life we need to be reminded that the source of our joy is our relationship with God which is secure and unbreakable. Because Jesus came to us to pay for our guilt nothing can separate us from the love of God. This is our joy, this is the source of our enjoyment. The Psalms call us, again and again, to respond to God through praise. Praise is an act of celebration. And we celebrate to perpetuate our enjoyment. The key aspect of celebration is, of course, other people. It’s good to praise God on your own, but even better to praise him with others. Praise, in its fullest expression, involves telling other people about God, particularly those who don’t yet know him.
Continue to ask God for opportunities to share with others what God has done for you.
Read Psalm 96.
