Psalm 68:1-10

But let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy. Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds—his name is the Lord— be exultant before him vss. 3-4

There is a contemporary popular worship song by Robin Mark called “Days of Elijah.” The chorus has an upbeat tempo and its lyrics could well have been written by this psalmist: “Behold he comes, riding on the clouds, shining like the sun at the trumpet call. Lift your voice, it’s the year of Jubilee, and out of Zion’s hill salvation comes.” We love to sing hymns like this, and if it’s a choir number, with all the different parts, it can give a jolt to any worship service.

We need to hear and sing songs in worship occasionally that lift us up and give us joy. When the tunes are familiar everybody sings and good feelings abound. The metaphors in “Days of Elijah” are from biblical themes, and even if we don’t take them literally, the mood of triumph is unmistakable.

It’s not that we’re on the winning team and everyone else is losing. We celebrate because in Christ Jesus we’re all winners, and what better reason could we possibly have for songs of triumph? Besides, we celebrate resurrection every single Sunday and once in a while it doesn’t hurt to be absolutely jubilant with joy–and maybe even clap our hands.

 Thought for the Day: What’s a rousing worship song that I love?