Praising God anyway.

I went for a walk along the Barwon River this morning with a friend. We seemed to spend all the time
exclaiming at how beautiful everything was: the majestic trees, the wattles glowing with gold, the river,
racing and roaring after recent rain, Wood Duck looking for a nesting place, a kayaker using all his skills
against the torrent, the skill of those who had built the precipitous steps down from the Falls.
C. S. Lewis was talking about Psalm 98 when he wrote: ‘I had never noticed that all enjoyment
spontaneously overflows into praise: people praising their favourite game, food, their children, travels,
flowers … I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise completes the enjoyment …
delight is incomplete until it is expressed.’
This psalm is full of noise as people are asked to celebrate God’s goodness in many different ways: sing,
shout, play instruments, applaud! The creation itself is called to join in!
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music!
Let the sea resound and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy.
Giving thanks and praise to God for the many ordinary things around us lifts our spirits. But they are all
extraordinary, really. As we look to the One who made them, he wants to meet us in blessing. ‘Rejoice in
the Lord always. Again, I say, Rejoice!’ Paul tells us. ‘The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace
of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’
Philippians 4, verses 4-7.
Let’s rejoice in God’s blessings, even though things are especially hard these days. Let’s put aside anxiety
and trust in God’s provision. Even in the midst of trouble, we are supported by God’s sustaining hand.