Psalm 98: 1, 2-3, 3-4 (Read)
“Sing to the Lord a new song.”
The Lord makes all thing new, and we are
a new creation, the work of his hands.
And so it is right that we sing a “new song”
to the Lord, who has done marvelous things for us.
This is a Psalm of joy, and because God's saving
power has been revealed to all the nations, we are
all encouraged to “break into song, sing praise.”
“The Lord's right hand and holy arm have won
the victory.” It is clear from this Sunday's readings
that God's healing power is not limited to the Israelites.
In our 1st reading (2 Kings) the Syrian army commander
Naaman is healed in the land of Yahweh.
And in our 2nd reading (2 Timothy) St Paul reminds us
that the 'word of God is not chained' and that if we
persevere and die with Christ, we too will be counted
among the living, the chosen ones.
Then in the Gospel, God's saving power is made
available to a grateful Samaritan, who is the only
one healed that has learned to sing the new song,
glorifying God in a loud voice and falling at the feet
of Jesus in thanksgiving.
God's salvation flows out to all people, whether they
be soldiers from foreign lands, lepers, or those imprisoned.
And how is salvation obtained, how is the victory won?
It is won by God's holy arm, His son, our Savior
Jesus Christ. Victory is obtainable for us too, if we
keep the faith, give thanks to God, and praise Him.
As the Psalm says, “Shout with joy to the Lord, sing praise.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our Psalmist declares, "The Lord has revealed to the nations
His saving power." Tell of how the Lord has revealed to you
personally His saving power.
2. The Psalm urges us to "Sing to the Lord a new song." Speak of
what it means to you to have learned the 'new song' of praising and
worshiping the one true God.
When this morning I prayed for a miracle healing for Sarah who was involved in the terrible car accident, I began to reason it out. Why her ? I thought about my problems as well. Why me, Lord?
ReplyDeleteThe thought came to me. Each of us has a God-given path to follow. And certainly, each of us has obstacles and hardships in that path. If so, is it quite possible that Sarah's case can be used by God? And also can she obtain victory over her injuries? At this moment her burdens are too heavy to bear by herself. She needs God's intervention badly.
At this, I thought of my own obstacles. I have been wobbling down my path because I didn't focus on God. Instead I just looked at my present problems. No matter what, if Sarah and I keep our eyes on God, who healed a leper, the Syrian army commander, and whose healing power is not limited, He will make us new and whole. Sarah and I will be a new creation, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Someday we'll sing a new song to the Lord when we have a vision of the wonderful things which God has in store for us. I believe He is faithful to the work of His hands. And His saving power has been revealed to all the nations. For that, I praise the Lord. Sarah, hang on. Your God is a healer. Let your spirit keep praising Him!
God wants us to be thankful for all that He has given us, and, He wants us to be happy/joyful believers. No matter how bleak things seem to be, remember God can help any body and do anything. Sing His praises, and ASK for His help. Remember God gives us strength and grace to to deal with anything the "evil one" can throw at us. We must believe that, "we shall overcome."
ReplyDeleteAlleluia, Sing praise to the Lord! The Lord truly does have saving power and those who believe and trust in Him will see the glory. A good friend of my boys and the son of a good friend of mine had suffered for over a year with a severe bacterial infection that affected his whole body, shutting down organs, and even traveling to his brain. Times were very difficult and critical. Through the help of our Lords grace and prayers my friend was very strong through the ordeal. A true miracle, her sons body was finally getting stronger and fighting off the infection. He gained strength to walk again and we were able to see him this summer. The Lord has given him determination as he works hard with therapy and tutors so he can attend school full time again. The Lord has opened my eyes and revealed to me personally his saving power through such a miracle.
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