Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100:1-5)
Psalm 100 is known in Latin as the ‘Jubilate,’ which means ‘O be joyful.’ A popular and often-used psalm for public worship, it has been the basis or inspiration for many hymns and worship songs throughout the ages. It’s hard to read this psalm and not feel joyful. The first verse of this psalm is a call for all the earth to make a joyful noise to the Lord. Not just half the earth or some of the earth, but all of it. God created the entire earth and all that is in it – people, animals, plants, rocks, everything – and the entire earth should give Him praise with a joyful noise.
There are two phrases in this psalm that really stand out to me. The first is in verse 2: “Come into His presence with singing!” What this says to me is that our voices should be singing His praise before we even enter into His presence. We are not to wait for Him to show up and then start singing His praise. His praise should be on our lips way before that. In fact, His praise should always be on our lips (Psalm 34:1).
The second phrase that stands out to me is in verse 4: “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise!” As in the first phrase, the call here is to always have His praise in our mouths, to give Him thanks at all times. When we come together as the family of God to give Him praise, we should not wait for the pastor or worship leader to call us into praise. We should not wait for the first song to begin to thank Him for all that He is and all He has done. Praise and thanksgiving should be in our hearts and on our lips 24/7.
Praise and thanksgiving should be in our hearts and in our mouths when we wake up in the morning, when we are in our cars, when we are home or at work. That is what it means to love and worship God with all of our hearts, minds, souls, and strength. It is living a lifestyle of praise.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
A Worshiper's Journal 