Our Maker

Psalm 95 is a familiar Psalm for many. It begins with an invitation:

1 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

3 For the Lord is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.

4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
    the heights of the mountains are his also.

5 The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.

6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
    let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

7 For he is our God,
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    and the sheep of his hand.

And then moves to a warning: 

Today, if you hear his voice,

8 do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
    as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,

9 when your fathers put me to the test
    and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.

10 For forty years I loathed that generation
    and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,
    and they have not known my ways.”

11 Therefore I swore in my wrath,
    “They shall not enter my rest.”

The transition between these two sections seems a bit harsh and unconnected. In the beginning, the psalmist speaks of God as maker and creator. All things belong to God; all things are under God’s care and protection. The second part speaks of hardened hearts and rebellion.

I am not sure what the Psalmist intended, but this Psalm reminds me of a line written in a letter by Emily Dickinson: “The only commandment I ever obeyed — ‘consider the lilies.’” She was referring to Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:25-34, where he tells us not to be anxious because God cares for all of his creation, including the birds and lilies. If he provides for them, so how much more will he provide for us? And if we rest in this knowledge, how much less is the temptation to break the other commandments? Why would we need other gods if we know that our God gives us all we need? Why covet our neighbors things? Why lie, steal, or kill?

God is our Maker! May we have soft hearts and trust that he has provided all that we need.

Dr. Jill Schroeder-Dorn, Director of Worship Arts