“Come into his presence with singing!” – Psalm 100:1
Scripture reading: Psalm 100:1-5; Ephesians 5:18-20
Not only is it a great privilege to come into God’s presence by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19-22), it’s also a great privilege to come into His presence with singing. God commands His people to sing in worship throughout the Old Testament. When we come to the New Testament, it’s no different. Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Music is a great gift from God! It’s a powerful means of impressing the truth of God’s Word deep within our hearts and stirring up our affections for God in worship.
And when we come into His presence with singing let us remember that we are not only addressing our songs to God, but also to each other (Ephesians 5:19). Even more, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it, “It is the voice of the Church that is heard in singing together. It is not you that sings, it is the Church that is singing, and you, as a member of the Church, may share in its song…Thus all singing together that is right, must serve to widen our spiritual horizon, make us see our little company as a member of the great Christian Church on earth, and help us willingly and gladly to join our singing, be it feeble or good, to the song of the Church.”
Let us delight to come into God’s presence with singing today!
Suggestions for prayer
Pray for yourself and those with whom you will gather for worship today, that the Word of Christ would dwell in you richly as you sing “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Pray that the Spirit would fill you with reverence and awe, and with joy and gratitude for the grace and glory of God.
Rev. Brian Cochran is ordained in the United Reformed Churches in North America and has served as the pastor of Redeemer Reformation Church in Regina, SK, for 14 years. This month he starts a new call to Grace URC in Torrance, CA. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.
