“Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth… Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.” Psalm 96:1, 3

Declare His Glory

When my children were little, they would make me cards for my birthday and Mother’s Day. Inside the card were words such as, “You’re the best Mom in the world” or “I love you so much!” Of course, anything your child makes with his own hands to give you is special, but if I were to have asked the child why I was the best mom or why he loved me, he wouldn’t have known what to say. I just was, that’s all—and that is wonderful to hear from a small child.

During a holiday visit to our home, one of my now-grown sons wrote me a little note. There were no flowers, butterflies, or rainbows to make it mom-friendly; it was just a scrap of paper he’d found on the kitchen counter. The note was taped to the inside of the front door, and I saw it the next morning when I went out to retrieve the newspaper.

“The patio might be frozen. Please be careful.” 

I read the note over and over as tears sprang to my eyes. My son was watching over me, protecting me, saying “I’m there for you.” It told me that he cared about me. It told me that I was loved. It was so much more meaningful than reading, “Mom, you’re the best.”

In today’s text, we are told to sing a new song. Now, this could mean to put the same old words into a new order with a new melody. Or it could mean, as I am inclined to think it does, that we are to tell the new things the Lord has done, the things that He is doing now.

When we declare the Lord’s glory, do we stop with, “Lord, You are glorious”? This is like saying, “You’re the best.” It is true that He is glorious, of course, and we should declare it, but we shouldn’t stop there. Why is He glorious? What has He done that is glorious? What is glorious about Him?

The next few verses of Psalm 96 and 97 give examples of declaring His glory by telling His wonders. “The Lord made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are His sanctuary… For He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with His truth… Clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. A fire goes before Him, and burns up His enemies round about. His lightnings light the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord… the heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples see His glory… He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.” 

This is but a miniscule example of declaring the glory of the Lord. I exhort you to take some time and think about what He has done, and declare THAT. It will bring Him glory… and will also show YOU whether you’ve been paying attention to His work in your life!

“Father, may we remember all the ways You have led us, and faithfully recount them back to You. Amen.”