Psalm 96:1-3

Sing a new song to the LORD! Let the whole earth sing to the LORD! Sing to the LORD; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.

Many people see life as divided into two categories: the sacred and the secular. The sacred is, for example, what we do when we go to church and worship God, and the secular is our normal daily routine of family life, working and relaxing. This way of looking at life is strongly Greek in origin and is very different from Hebrew thinking, which we see reflected in this psalm. The psalmist had no thought of confining his worship to his visits to the temple! He was eager to proclaim the good news of God’s salvation every day. Whatever he was doing, he wanted to declare the greatness of God and encourage other people to do the same. The idea of living in two separate compartments was completely unknown to him.

When we see God at work in every aspect of our lives, it gives a new importance to everything we do. Work is no longer simply a way of making money to feed the family, but an opportunity to serve God and to extend his kingdom. Our sport is no longer something we do merely to keep fit and healthy, but an opportunity to live for God and to represent him to people who may not know him. Our finances are no longer our possession to use in ways that please us, but an exciting God-given opportunity to bless other people. I could go on – God’s desire is to bless every part of our lives.

Nothing could be more exciting than to see God at work in every area of life. Dividing up the sacred and secular robs us of the joy that God wants us to experience. God is constantly working in new ways and leading us into new experiences, so the psalmist recognised the need to sing new songs to the Lord. Throughout history, God’s people have come up with new songs, and that continues to happen at an impressive rate! It’s not because there’s anything wrong with the old songs, but because God’s people are continually seeing him at work in new ways throughout all areas of life.

Question

In what new ways have you seen God at work recently?

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, that every day you give me new reasons to praise and worship you. Amen.