Project 119: Psalm 99 & Psalm 100
| Project 119 | Amy Hirsch
Morning: Psalm 99
The LORD Our God Is Holy
1 The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
2 The LORD is great in Zion;
he is exalted over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name!
Holy is he!
4 The King in his might loves justice.
You have established equity;
you have executed justice
and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt the LORD our God;
worship at his footstool!
Holy is he!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel also was among those who called upon his name.
They called to the LORD, and he answered them.
7 In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them;
they kept his testimonies
and the statute that he gave them.
8 O LORD our God, you answered them;
you were a forgiving God to them,
but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
9 Exalt the LORD our God,
and worship at his holy mountain;
for the LORD our God is holy!
God,
The words of this psalm remind us that You are a king unlike any other king. You rule over the heavenly beings - even the angels submit to You! You reign over all of nature; the skies, clouds, and stars are Your creation, the earth
Your footstool. And You are sovereign over all people everywhere, for all of history. No one is outside of Your rule. Even the greatest earthly kings pale in comparison to Your majesty and might. I praise You because Your name is
great and awesome! You are a God who is holy - You are spotless and pure, set apart from all other gods and earthly rulers, for You are perfect in all of Your ways.
And not only are You all-powerful, but You are also the perfect judge. You love justice and You establish equity. And because You are the only perfectly righteous judge, You are the standard for justice and equity. My eyes are
blinded by my own partiality and sin, but You are able to see all things clearly. Oh Lord, as I think over the injustices I see in the world, I do ask for Your perfect justice to be poured out on evil! I trust that You are the only one who can perfectly enact judgment, for not only are You the just judge, but You are also all-powerful. Evil will not have the last word. Come Lord Jesus, and make right all that is wrong. I bow down and worship at Your feet, recognizing that I am not God and confessing that You are.
I praise You for making Yourself known through Your saints of old - for handing down the law through prophets like Moses, Aaron, and Samuel. For revealing Yourself to them and speaking to them, so that Your people might know how to live as Your children. And I praise You because You are still speaking - through Your living word and through the power of Your Holy Spirit living in me.
I confess that sometimes I am not listening to what You have to say. I am distracted by the ways of the world, by the temptations of technology and media, by my own selfish preoccupations. Forgive me for the ways I have failed
to hear and heed You and Your word. Because You are a God of justice, You are a God who takes sin seriously. It is in this understanding that I can see the depths of Your mercy and grace; I can’t fully understand the good news of
forgiveness without really comprehending Your anger against sin. I praise You because You are a God who answers our cries and who shows mercy when we do not deserve it. You are a God who sent Your Son, Christ, who faced the judgment and justice of God for my sin.
And I look forward in hope to the day when I will experience Your rule as king in the new heaven and the new earth, where I will worship You in the splendor of Your holiness in that new city, New Jerusalem. I look forward to the day when all wrongs are made right. You are patient with Your anger and You forgive all who call on You in faith, but on that fateful day, You will rise up against evil and Satan will finally and forever be defeated. Help me wait in faith for that day of righteous judgment, knowing that my faithful Father will avenge all that is wrong. Amen.
Evening: Psalm 100
His Steadfast Love Endures Forever
A Psalm for giving thanks.
1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
2 Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
3 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.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
5 For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.