A New Song

“Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.”
Psalm 98:1

Has the Lord done marvelous things in your life? By which measure do you determine the blessings you have received? How often do we only look at what we have gained, instead of what we have not lost?

As I review these questions in regard to my own experience I cannot help but notice that all to often we only acknowledge God for what He has given, and not for how He has protected. It is as if we neglect to think of all the things that could possibly go wrong and how, just maybe, at times God keeps us out of the way of trouble.

The above mentioned verse states that the right hand and the holy arm have worked the salvation. First, take a moment to remember that salvation was not worked by you, but by Christ. While it may be true that we wrestle out our own salvation, the salvation itself was earned by the Savior. Second, salvation is a work, it is something that was actually done.

What we need to ask now is: what are we saved from? Many will say that we are saved from eternal damnation. While true, it also seems a bit empty. I cannot help but to believe that this great big God of ours not only blesses us with salvation, but also blesses us with the avoidance of the what could have been. 

Time and time again God declares to the Israelites that He desires for them to prosper, multiply, and have everlasting joy. To me that seems like a lot more than just salvation. Don’t get me wrong, salvation is enough, but we serve a more than enough God.

So let us put this all together. God does marvelous things. He has worked out our salvation. Not only are we saved, but we are blessed and protected by our Father. And all we are told to do is “sing to the Lord a new song.”

I, for one, shout out to God with victory and thanksgiving. Not only am I thankful for what He has given, but also for how He has allowed me to passover the troubled waters of the world. Do we at times face disturbance or downright struggle, yes, but without God it could be so far worse.

So today sing a new song. Sing  a song that is full of thanksgiving, not only for the blessings you have noticed, but also for the ones that went undetected. Sing a song that recognizes God is awesome, and bigger than we ever can know.  Sing a song that removes yourself from the equation, and purely recognizes God as your sovereign Lord.