Psalm 92:1-2,4 Now Available feat. Ruthie Mengistu Williams

Sep 9

Psalm 92:1-2,4 is now available on all streaming platforms!

THE VERSE

It is good to give thanks to the Lord! To sing praises to his name, O Most High.
To declare his steadfast love in the morning. And his faithfulness by night. For you O Lord have made me glad by your work. At the works of your hand I sing for joy!

In the Bible’s creation account in the book of Genesis, as God created the world, we are told that at the end of each day, “God saw that it was good.” Repeatedly the refrain rang out: “It was good.” As He created mankind and finally wrapped up His creative endeavor on the sixth day, “He saw that it was very good.” Then on the seventh day, He rested. This day of rest that God enjoyed post-creation was one that He in turn invited His people to join Him in as well and this day came to be known as the “Sabbath.” Sabbath is one day out of seven that is set apart as different from the rest of the week. It is on Sabbath where we learn to stop, to rest, to hit reset from the prior 6 days of labor and simply be… To remember that God upholds the universe and not us. To enjoy and worship God. To remind us we can let our guards down because God stands guard for us. In the words of Eugene Peterson, Sabbath is a day to pray and play.

Sabbath is one day out of seven that is set apart as different from the rest of the week. It is on Sabbath where we learn to stop, to rest, to hit reset from the prior 6 days of labor and simply be…

In its title, we are told that Psalm 92 is a “A Song for the Sabbath.” This Sabbath song invokes some of the words God used in creation, but instead of being an expression of God’s delight in creation it is now used as an expression of creation’s delight in its Creator… Verse 1 tells us immediately that “...it is good to give thanks to the Lord!” It is right for humanity to remember and recognize its source of life on the day of Sabbath; for creation to look to and thank the Creator and Savior.

While prose is great, when it comes to worship, we’re commanded to sing as well! To put a melody on our gratitude.

Not only is it good to thank God, but Psalm 92 teaches us that it’s also good to sing praises to His name. It is good to take those grateful words we put on our lips and merge them with melody. While prose is great, when it comes to worship, we’re commanded to sing as well! To put a melody on our gratitude. Singing is a holistic act because it engages our emotions, our bodies, and our minds!

In the second half of verse 1, the psalmist reminds us that it’s not merely about musical notes, but also it’s essential to know what we’re putting to song: praises not sung to an ambiguous force in the universe but rather the name of God, the Most High. In the Bible, a name consisted of one’s essence, the core of who one is. In the case of God, to praise His name means we intentionally come back to both His attributes and His acts and celebrate them.

What are some of the things true of His name? Well, we’re told in verse 3 that in the morning we can declare His steadfast love. This steadfast love is far from a business agreement or contract; it’s God’s pledge of His utterly unshakeable love toward us. Do you know this love? Do you declare it to yourself and others? How different would your days look if you actually lived awake and alert to God’s love? Imagine if you engaged in your work and your relationships and your hobbies confident in God’s secure love for you. What would that do to your everyday realities? What would it change? It should change everything. Not only do we declare His love in the morning, but at night we praise His faithfulness. After living a full day full of trouble and things that might not have gone the way we hoped, we can lay our heads down banking on the fact that even if we sleep, God’s faithfulness will not! No matter how dark the night, no matter how long, this faithfulness undergirds and upholds us.

Let this Sabbath song stir your heart for God, but also let Psalm 92 spill into the other 6 days of the week! It is good to give thanks to the Lord on the Sabbath and at all times…

Other Resources

If you’re looking for more resources on the Sabbath, check out the Bible Project’s video here (https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/sabbath-video/) or Practicing The Way on Sabbath (https://practicingtheway.org/practices/sabbath).

The Song + The Artists

This song was written by Joel Limpic and sung by Ruthie Mengistu Williams. Joel commented a bit about how the song developed:

While I originally wrote this song for our church to sing together corporately, it was so really fun to rearrange it for this recording! Part of the challenge for Scott as the producer was to change up the feel quite a bit, and he did a stellar job. When we were almost done with all the parts, something still felt missing. We hit up Jessica Fox and a few other of her vocally gifted friends to throw some choir vocals down for the song. We were blown away by their creativity and how much it added to the celebratory nature of this song! We hope you love to sing along with it…

Choir vocals by Jessica Fox, Rae Hudnell, and Matt Miller.

Produced by Scott Mills.

Mixed by Michael Lewis.

Mastered by Joe Causey (Voyager).