Key Verses
Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song. Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful. O Israel, rejoice in your Maker. O people of Jerusalem, exult in your King.
Praise his name with dancing, accompanied by tambourine and harp. For the Lord delights in his people; he crowns the humble with victory. Let the faithful rejoice that he honours them. Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds. (NLT)
Commentary
A great deal of rejoicing is evident in this psalm, for there is singing and dancing to the accompaniment of tambourines and harps, all of which is to praise the name of the Lord. The people of Israel are encouraged to rejoice in their Maker, the Lord their King. Earlier in Psalm 139: 13-14 we leaned about the amazing skill of our Creator:
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvellous—how well I know it.
Today, we understand much more about the body than was known in the past, particularly in relation to our DNA which is found in the smallest cells and carries instructions determining the unique coding for our life. This unbelievable complexity gives credit to the engineering skills of the one who made us but the uniqueness of our individual code illustrates just how much we are valued by our Maker.
When we consider the wonders of our created being, it is little wonder that it causes us to rejoice in God’s marvellous workmanship. Our Maker had a purpose in our creation and so we place ourselves back into his hands so that he might take us, mould us and use us for his glory and praise.
Prayer of Response
O Great Designer, I marvel at your workmanship when I think of the complexity of my own body and the uniqueness of my life.
As you only made one of me, Lord, and as no one like me will ever inhabit this world again, I ask that you would make my life count for you and for your glory,
In Jesus name, Amen.