The Rock Of Our Salvation

O Come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and the dry land, which his hands have formed.

O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

O that today you would listen to his voice! Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your ancestors tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. For forty years I loathed that generation and said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they do not regard my ways." Therefore in my anger I swore, "They shall not enter my rest."

Psalm 95:1-11

Millions of Christians gather each Sunday to worship God as their Creator and Redeemer. We need to be careful that our worship does not degenerate into empty ritualism. The psalmist knew how quickly God's people can harden their hearts and fail to obey His word. Under the leadership of Moses they had been miraculously delivered from slavery in Egypt and had fervently praised the LORD. But almost immediately they began to doubt God's goodness and trustworthiness. They complained bitterly and found fault with the LORD and His servant Moses. They ignored His instructions, and their worship became hollow. This angered God and resulted in their wandering for 40 years in a desert they could have cross in a short time. Most were not allowed to enter the Promised Land.

Our worship is right only when we are right with God.

Our Daily Bread - April 24, 2005