Know that the Lord Himself is God; "it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves" (Psalm 100:3, NASB).

These words seem even more relevant today than when they were written. They are reflected in the oft-cited quip, "I know two things are true: there is a God, and I am not He." While no one will say they are God, many, if not most, live as though they are.

God made us, and not we ourselves! I wonder if we recognize the vast divide between the creature and the Creator. God says through Isaiah that His thoughts are not our thoughts nor His ways our ways; as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways and thoughts higher than ours (a paraphrase of Isaiah 55:8–9). Again Isaiah writes, "We are the clay, and you are our potter"; we are all the work of His hand (Isaiah 64:8).

Friends, what are the implications of this? We derive our worth from our Maker. What is more, He knows us more intimately than we can imagine, and we can make no claims against Him. Since God ultimately does with us as He pleases, we have no autonomy apart from His will. It is therefore utter foolishness to imagine that we can chart our own course or determine our own end.

We speak of natural laws; He established them. We speak of spiritual principles; He wrote them down. God, as Creator, stands before, behind, above, and beyond all things.

If we fret, it should only be because we do not know Him. And if we have come to know Him, we ought only to fret because we may still be foolishly living as if we did not.

Therefore, friends, let us stop fretting about mundane things. Let us not be disturbed by people's foolish strategies and exploits as they take offense, bicker, and try to get a leg up on one another, as if in the eternal scheme of things this will give them any advantage or even be remembered. Everything in this life and world is passing away. It is nearness to our God that is our good. We ought instead to be busy trusting Him, loving Him, and obeying His Word.

As Scripture also teaches, since we have been raised with Christ, we are to seek the things above, where Christ is seated at God's right hand, setting our minds on things above and not on earthly things; for we have died, and our life is hidden with Christ in God, and when Christ appears, we will appear with Him in glory (a paraphrase of Colossians 3:1–4).

AI-Expanded Reflection

Psalm 100:3 contains a well-known textual variant, and both readings enrich the comment's point. The written Hebrew text reads "and not we ourselves" (lo', "not"), which is the reading the NASB and KJV follow. But the scribal marginal reading, pronounced the same way, is "and we are his" (lo, "to him"), which most modern translations follow: "It is he who made us, and we are his"; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. One reading denies our self-making; the other affirms God's ownership. Together they say the same thing from two sides — we did not make ourselves, and so we belong to the One who did.

The ownership reading also leads naturally into the image of sheep and pasture, which is ultimately comforting rather than diminishing. The Creator who holds all authority over us is the Shepherd who cares for us, and the psalm's response to that knowledge is not anxiety but joyful entrance: "Enter his gates with thanksgiving" (100:4). Jesus draws on the same imagery in John 10:14 — "I know my own and my own know me."

Psalm 98:7–9

Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

I have at times prayed a similar prayer, praising the return of, and the correction to all things that comes with, Jesus. I usually then consider those on my prayer list, then give thanks for the time; and gladness that it's not up to me to push the "go" judgment-button.

AI-Expanded Reflection

Psalm 98 imagines creation responding joyfully to the Lord's coming judgment. Seas roar, rivers clap, and hills sing because the world's ruler judges with righteousness and equity. The imagery challenges the assumption that judgment can mean only bad news. For a world marked by oppression, deception, and distorted power, a just verdict and a restored order are grounds for hope. The joy belongs to the prospect that wrong will not remain permanently unaddressed.

The personification of rivers and hills also expands the scale of salvation. The psalm begins with the Lord's victorious saving action and summons the ends of the earth to recognize it. Creation's participation poetically expresses the fittingness of that rule for the whole world. Christian readers can connect this hope with Romans 8:19–23, where creation awaits liberation from decay. The connection does not require imagining that the rivers possess human minds; it recognizes that righteous divine government concerns more than private inward comfort.

The original's turn toward people on a prayer list adds a necessary pastoral tension. We may long for evil to end while also longing for particular people to repent and receive mercy. Second Peter 3:9, 15 interprets the apparent delay of the promised coming in terms of divine patience and salvation. The passage does not tell believers to stop hoping for Christ's return; it teaches them how to understand the interval without calling God's promise a failure. Hope and intercession therefore belong together.

Being thankful that we do not control the timing is an act of humility. Our desire for justice may be genuine while our knowledge of people and consequences remains incomplete. We can recognize an action as wrong without possessing the full knowledge necessary for final judgment. Entrusting the timing to God frees us from the fantasy that righteousness requires personally administering the world's last verdict.

That trust is not passive. The time given can be used to pray by name, speak honestly, repair wrongs, protect those being harmed, and bear witness to Christ. We should not use God's patience as an excuse to postpone repentance in ourselves or accountability for ongoing abuse. Rather, we receive it as an opportunity for faithful action before the final resolution. The psalm's joy and the contributor's gratitude can thus form one prayer: establish your righteous kingdom, show mercy in the time you give, and make us faithful witnesses while we wait.

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 (Psalm 96:2–3).

They say that the two topics you should never bring up in a friendly conversation are politics and religion. Why? I surmise it is because people carry strong, emotionally-charged views in regard to them. But isn't this for good reason? Political matters concern issues of governance that can either benefit or adversely impact every member of a society. And religion goes even further because it concerns the convictions and values that touch both the present life and the life hereafter. For this reason, I think we should often speak of politics and religion, because these seem to have the greatest significance for people, who would be living otherwise shallow and meaningless lives.

Yet, society has made discussions of politics and religion taboo. Even in Christian circles, we are only encouraged to discuss safe topics, which are those where everyone is in full agreement. Why? Because touching on controversial matters might be divisive. And so the maintenance of "peace" is valued above the discernment and discovery of truth. And where leaders are concerned that their members don't hold their views, it may be that the leaders' authority is valued above the authority of truth.

Are we too concerned about being politically correct and religiously proper? This comes to mind as I read the psalmists' bold calls to proclaim and publish the Gospel of God's salvation and His glorious works to the nations. Yet, our praises are locked up in the sound-proof walls of our church buildings. Our Gospel is but a watered-down and nebulous mantra about "accepting Jesus into your heart" or some vague idea of God's fatherly love for everyone. Even though we are called to proclaim and declare, we find most evangelists and preachers only begging and pleading. Yet, I never read of Jesus begging anyone to be saved, nor Peter, nor Paul. Instead, they declared the Gospel clearly and boldly. If we were to study the evangelistic practices of Jesus, we would be surprised at how bold, direct, uncompromising, and even offensive He was.

When Paul calls believers to make the most of every opportunity to influence outsiders, he writes, "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone" (Colossians 4:6). This has often been taught as counsel for Christians to be nice and relevant in sharing the Gospel. But the expression "full of grace" reminds me of the witness of Christ, which John writes was "full of grace and truth." Thus, full of grace suggests full of Christ. Christ needs to be at the center of our witness, even the grace of God that we have received in Him. Regarding salt, it is almost consistently used in the New Testament to refer to judgment or discernment, and I don't see it used differently here. In other words, our words must be examined in light of God's Word. This is why Paul in a similar context advises believers,

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

Jesus told His disciples to have "salt in themselves." He was telling them to examine themselves, to be discerning, to speak truth. When these things are done, then believers will "know how to answer everyone."

Friends, sometimes during praise time I don't sing. It is not because I do not want to sing, for I love to sing, especially Christian songs. But I don't sing because the theology, that is the teaching, in the lyrics is wrong or so far outside of biblical truth, I fear God would be dishonored if I were to sing them. Many songs wax eloquently about wanting to see this or feel that, but such desires are never encouraged in the Scriptures. There is so much that the Scriptures do encourage. Why do we need to invent new things? Just for a song? Just to stir our emotions? And is it not a problem to be stirred by unbiblical ideas?

Therefore, I encourage both praise leaders and members alike to think before you sing. Consider what you are singing. Consider what you are declaring in the congregation. Consider what you might be humming out in the world. If it is biblically sound, and I don't mean that the song simply uses words from the Bible, but if it is truly consistent with biblical teaching, then don't just sing it in the sheltered walls of a church building, sing it at home, at the office, along the way, and everywhere else in this free country of ours. Declare it! Proclaim it! Boldly! Clearly!

AI-Expanded Reflection

Psalm 96 summons worship beyond a private circle. The nations are to hear of God's salvation, glory, and marvelous works because the Lord is worthy of universal allegiance. The psalm eventually welcomes his coming judgment as righteous and faithful. Praise therefore communicates a claim about reality, not merely a private preference. The original rightly challenges a church that sings about these truths internally while becoming unwilling to speak of them in ordinary relationships.

Boldness, however, is not identical to conversational force or indifference to the hearer. Paul asks for open doors and clarity, then calls believers to wise conduct and gracious speech toward outsiders (Colossians 4:2–6). The phrase about salt is an image whose function must be discerned locally; it does not carry one fixed meaning of judgment in every New Testament passage. Here it belongs with speech suited to answering each person. Mark 9:50 likewise connects having salt with peace among the disciples, which should caution against making the image a warrant for habitual verbal severity.

The contrast between proclamation and pleading also needs qualification. In 2 Corinthians 5:20 Paul explicitly describes an appeal made through Christ's ambassadors and urges reconciliation with God. Acts 2:40 says Peter exhorted his hearers with many further words. Earnest appeal need not compromise the content of the gospel, just as a declarative tone does not guarantee its clarity. Faithful witness can announce, reason, warn, invite, and plead according to the situation, while refusing manipulation or distortion.

The concern about song lyrics is especially practical because repetition forms memory and expectation. A song's use of biblical vocabulary does not by itself make its message faithful; the relationships among its claims matter. Yet poetic longing to see God, know his presence, or experience his help is found throughout the Psalms. Such language should be evaluated in context rather than rejected merely because it expresses desire or feeling. A lyric may be a petition or an anticipated future hope rather than a claim about an experience already attained.

A responsible worship leader can ask what a song teaches about God, salvation, suffering, and Christian obedience, and whether its imagery is likely to mislead without explanation. An individual can raise a concern respectfully and distinguish a substantive error from a preference in style. Outside the congregation, the same combination of clarity and grace applies. We should be ready to discuss consequential matters, listen carefully, and answer honestly. The goal is that the hearer encounter the truth of Christ, not merely the confidence of the person speaking.

When I look at myself and this world, I can't help but feel discouraged. But when I look up and see who my God is, my heart fills with comfort and joy. The psalmist in Psalm 102 pours out his sorrow to the Lord, but by the end, he says this: God laid the foundations of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of His hands; they'll perish, but He remains; they'll all wear out like a garment and be discarded like old clothing, but He stays the same, and His years will never end (a paraphrase of Psalm 102:25–27). Nothing will last forever except our God — and the most amazing thing is that He loves us, insignificant as we are! Let's be encouraged every day by who our God is.

AI-Expanded Reflection

The contrast this psalm draws — everything created wearing out like a garment, while God alone remains unchanged — is worth connecting to how the writer of Hebrews later applies this exact passage directly to Jesus (Hebrews 1:10–12), citing it as evidence of Christ's own eternal, unchanging nature alongside the Father. That's a significant move: a psalm originally addressed to God as Creator gets applied centuries later to the Son specifically, which is part of why this comment's own instinct — finding personal comfort in God's permanence amid personal discouragement — sits on solid ground. The permanence this psalm celebrates isn't distant or abstract; the New Testament identifies it with the same Christ believers actually relate to.