Psalm 100
Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands;
serve the Lord with gladness
and come before his presence with a song.Know this: The Lord himself is God;
he himself has made us, and we are his;
we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and call upon his Name.For the Lord is good;
his mercy is everlasting;
and his faithfulness endures from age to age.
This one of the first hymns that I “sing” every morning from Morning Prayer (The other is the Venite- from Psalm 95). I don’t really sing it, because I am usually in my office cubicle, and I do better with a choir leading me, but it is truly on my heart as I pray the Psalms with the ancients.
I do believe that having a song on our lips is an excellent way to praise God. The hymns of praise and adoration that fill the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer are just a start. The Church has produced thousands upon thousands of hymns and songs that lift our souls, and praise the Creator. As an old monk confessed, “He who sings prays twice.” May we all learn the power of sung prayer.
My paraphrase:
Be joyful, serve God, sing.
God made us, and God cares for us.
Give thanks and praise.
God is good, always merciful, always faithul.
Forever and ever.