“I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD” (Psalm 104:33–34 ESV).
Psalm 104 is one of the Bible’s most magnificent hymns celebrating God as Creator and Sustainer of all things. After surveying the wonders of creation, the psalmist concludes with a personal commitment to lifelong praise, a desire to please God with his thoughts, and a declaration that his greatest joy is found in the Lord Himself.
Notice three expressions of worship in these closing verses. First, the psalmist commits to lifelong praise. He doesn’t merely praise God for a moment or a season, but determines to sing His praises as long as he has breath. Second, he desires that his meditation be pleasing to God. True worship involves more than the songs on our lips. It includes the thoughts of our hearts. Third, he declares that his joy is in the Lord. Although creation displays God’s glory, his ultimate delight is not in the things God has made, but in the God who made them.
There is a beautiful connection between verses 31 and 34. Verse 31 says that God rejoices in His works, while verse 34 says that the psalmist rejoices in God. What a wonderful picture of the relationship for which we were created!
Yet sin has broken that relationship. Thankfully, through Jesus Christ, we can be reconciled to the Father and restored to the joy of knowing Him. Through Christ, we can offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God (1 Pet. 2:5).
May we live every day with this same desire: to praise the Lord with our lips, please Him with our thoughts, and rejoice in Him with all our hearts!
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for creating us for Your glory and redeeming us through Your Son. May our songs, thoughts, and lives be pleasing to You. Fill our hearts with joy in Christ, so that we may praise You as long as we live. In Jesus’ name, amen.