Psalm mash up

The song of David as recorded in 1 Chronicles 16 is actually a mash up of at least three psalms – the start of Psalm 105, the second half of Psalm 96 and the end of Psalm 106 – songs sung by David; songs that are still sung by God’s people today. At Greenbelt last weekend for example, we sang ‘You shall go out with joy…’ – a golden oldie that’s been around for years and yet it works. You do go out with joy. We did – especially when they crammed in as many different tree types as possible!

So here is the Chronicles song of praise from the Message version of the Bible –

Thank God! Call out his Name!
Tell the whole world who he is and what he’s done!
Sing to him! Play songs for him!
Broadcast all his wonders!
Revel in his holy Name,
God-seekers, be jubilant!
Study God and his strength,
seek his presence day and night;
Remember all the wonders he performed,
the miracles and judgments that came out of his mouth.

Seed of Israel his servant!
Children of Jacob, his first choice!
He is God, our God;
wherever you go you come on his judgments and decisions.
He keeps his commitments across thousands
of generations, the covenant he commanded,
The same one he made with Abraham,
the very one he swore to Isaac;
He posted it in big block letters to Jacob,
this eternal covenant with Israel:
“I give you the land of Canaan,
this is your inheritance;
Even though you’re not much to look at,
a few straggling strangers.”
They wandered from country to country,
camped out in one kingdom after another;
But he didn’t let anyone push them around,
he stood up for them against bully-kings:
“Don’t you dare touch my anointed ones,
don’t lay a hand on my prophets.”

Sing to God, everyone and everything!
Get out his salvation news every day!
Publish his glory among the godless nations,
his wonders to all races and religions.
And why? Because God is great—well worth praising!
No god or goddess comes close in honor.
All the popular gods are stuff and nonsense,
but God made the cosmos!
Splendor and majesty flow out of him,
strength and joy fill his place.

Shout Bravo! to God, families of the peoples,
in awe of the Glory, in awe of the Strength: Bravo!
Shout Bravo! to his famous Name,
lift high an offering and enter his presence!
Stand resplendent in his robes of holiness!

God is serious business, take him seriously;
he’s put the earth in place and it’s not moving.
So let Heaven rejoice, let Earth be jubilant,
and pass the word among the nations, “God reigns!”
Let Ocean, all teeming with life, bellow,
let Field and all its creatures shake the rafters;
Then the trees in the forest will add their applause
to all who are pleased and present before God
—he’s on his way to set things right!

Give thanks to God—he is good
and his love never quits.
Say, “Save us, Savior God,
round us up and get us out of these godless places,
So we can give thanks to your holy Name,
and bask in your life of praise.”
Blessed be God, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.  1 Chronicles 16:8-36

There’s not a lot I could add, is there? This is a clear exhortation to praise God – thank God, call out his name, tell the world who he is and what he has done, sing to him, play songs for him, broadcast all his wonders, get out his salvation news, publish his glory, shout bravo to God……do you get the message?

And why? Because God is great—well worth praising!

Here are 17 reasons why God is well worth praising – straight from this mash up….

1. God is strong
2. God is always there
3. God performs wonders, miracles and judgements
4. He is God, our God
5. Wherever you go, He will be there, already waiting for you
6. He keeps His promises and commitments
7. He gives us good things
8. He protects
9. No other gods come close
10. He created the universe
11. He maintains and sustains the universe
12. He will set all things right
13. He is good
14. His love never gives up
15. He saves
16. He is holy
17. He never changes

So be inspired. Some of these will touch a chord with you today more than others. For me, it’s number 17 – He never changes……because everything around me is changing at the moment; nothing stays the same for long; and I’m not great with change….yes, I know I push for it and constantly re-evaluate to try to make things better and better BUT….Anyway, it helps me hugely to have God as a constant, to know where I stand with Him, to know that He never changes. We can say ‘God is good’, ‘God is love’ etc and know that that is always true every time. God is not flaky. He doesn’t have mood swings. He is not like everyone else we know. He is God and He never changes.

So take a moment to think about your reasons to praise God – and just do it!