Prioritize Praise

A Reflection on the Psalm for October 18th, 2020:
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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PSALMS
96:1, 3-5, 7-10

R. Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

O sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth! Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! 

R. Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols; but the LORD made the heavens. 

R. Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! 

R. Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

Worship the LORD in holy array; tremble before him, all the earth! Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns! Yea, the world is established, it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity."

R. Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

Singing together has become something of a difficult thing in the days of coronavirus. At the very thought of singing, the voice in the back of my mind whispers about aerosolization and viral load. The 24-hour news cycle has nothing on my inner monologue. This psalm hearkens back to the pre-covid days, when we would come together to worship with loud voices and open hearts, stirring up such a joyful noise I’m sure it could be heard across the street.


I remember what it felt like. That feeling of my spirit lifting and the powerful feeling of praising God, not just by myself, but with the crowd of believers. The pandemic has stolen away some of this feeling, but perhaps this is a blessing. We’re being invited to praise the Lord, even when it doesn’t feel like what we’re used to. We’re being invited to praise the Lord, even when the world feels darkened by yet another crisis. We join generations of people who have praised the Lord in the times of victory and in times of despair.


While it may not feel right, my feelings about worship don’t actually matter! Following God isn’t about feeling good, but about conforming our hearts so entirely to God that we praise Him in total trust that He is in charge. That means when I’m scared, overwhelmed, or even just feeling numb, I have to tune my heart into the song of praise. Sometimes it’s an act of will to re-orient my mind, but in giving myself entirely over to God, I allow Him to pour boundless grace into my heart.


That’s not to say that I should march into the church, take off my mask, and start singing at the top of my lungs. The new song God invites us to sing at every moment can be sung from the rooftops in many different ways — in our hearts, in our words, and in our witness. We can keep our heart in tune with that new song by staying close to the Lord in our devotions and prayers. We can sing our new song in word and witness by keeping His praise on our lips both to ourselves and when we speak to others. Something so simple as praising His name on Facebook or Twitter, or in a phone call with a loved one, can keep the praise of the Lord at the forefront of our lives. When we prioritize praise, we are singing the Lord’s song to all nations.


No pandemic can keep us from singing the Lord’s song. Our hearts are not in chains, but free to tell all the good our God continues to do in and around us.




Stephanie Potter

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