June 30 | Psalm 100

Pastor Dave Mann
Jun 30, 2025
3 min read

Updated: Jul 1, 2025

DAILY READING

REFLECTION

Joyful Worship!

By Dave Mann

Often, we tend to think that all of the psalms were written by King David, unless otherwise noted. This may or may not be true. Perhaps he was the author, or perhaps he was the collector of most of the psalms. Whoever penned them, they are a wonderful collection of inspired worship songs from antiquity that continue to lead us to the Lord in the present as well.

After the 23rd, Psalm 100 may be among the most well-known of the 150 psalms. It walks us into the Lord’s presence with an attitude of gratitude.

Vv. 1-2 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

Many people are rather reserved during Sunday morning worship. But really, why should we not be enthusiastic in our praise? Of all people on earth, we followers of Jesus have the most reason to lift our voices and to give joyful homage to our Lord. Why should the decibel level of our worship not exceed that of when we watch our favorite sports team win the championship?

V. 3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Our God is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. We are doubly under the protection of our God. He has created us, and he has redeemed us, i.e., brought us back when we have strayed.

V. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

When the Israelite people came to Jerusalem to worship, groups of people on pilgrimage would sing worship songs at high volume as they entered the gates of the city. Likewise, when they entered the courtyard surrounding the temple, these same groups of worshippers would raise their voices even higher. Even in the current age, we join our voices together in praise.

V. 5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

What is the reason and motivation for our worship? Is it not that we know that God is good and faithful in all his ways? Yes, we give thanks when we discover anew that the Lord hears and answers our prayers. But principally, our worship is not only about what God does or what God gives us. But the greatest worship focuses on who God is – his character, his personhood, his essence. Great is our experience of worship when we join our voices together to acclaim the goodness and the faithfulness of our God.

No matter what our circumstances – joy, sadness, disappointment, hopefulness, courage, fear – it is right for us to give thanks to our God.

PRAYER

Use a slightly modified form of Psalm 100 as your prayer today – something like this:

I shout to the Lord. I worship the Lord with gladness. I come before him with joyful songs. I know that the Lord is God... etc.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DAVE MANN

I am a Pastor for Internationals (retired) in the UALC community. I am married to Pam, father of four, and grandfather of six. Pam and I have lived twenty of our years in other countries including France, Cameroon, Haiti, and Morocco. In retirement, we continue to enjoy writing devotionals, learning languages, and teaching English to internationals.