“If only ___ happened in my life, then I would be happy and content.”
“If only ____ changed, then I wouldn’t be so dissatisfied all the time.”
“If only ____."
How would you fill in the blanks above? I have multiple things I would place in those blanks, things I look to as THE THING that would make my life better. A change in circumstances. An answered prayer. A dream realized. Healing of something broken. A provision. Whatever the “if only” is, it becomes my one focus and keeps me from remembering the goodness of the Lord and rejoicing in what he has done for me.
In truth, my “if-only’s” nurture my discontent.
Psalm 95: An Invitation to Worship
Psalm 95 is a psalm of praise, inviting worshippers into God’s presence. It expounds on reasons why we worship and praise the Lord. At the same time, it also presents a warning as it contrasts the grateful heart with that of a grumbling heart, reminding us of how easy it is to wander into discontentment. At its heart, this psalm shows us how being in God’s presence and dwelling on who he is fosters gratitude and thanksgiving, rather than discontentment.
The psalmist begins with an invitation to worship: “Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! (vv.1-2). This worship is directed to “the rock of our salvation.” When we consider how the Lord has delivered us from sin by his grace, we can’t help but respond in joyful praise. We can’t help but give him the thanks he is due. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.
The author goes on to explain why we worship and give thanks:
for the LORD is a great God (v.3)
He is a great King above all gods (v. 3)
He owns the earth (v.4)
He created all things; he is our Maker (vv.5-6)
He is our God! (v.7)
We are his people, his sheep (v.7)
Our God is greater than all. He created and rules over all things. Everything belongs to him. But he is not a God who rules from a distance; he is very near. He is our God. He knows us and we know him. Even more, he shepherds us. We can’t help but think of Psalm 23 and the tender description of God as a shepherd caring for his flock and of Jesus’ description of himself as the Good Shepherd in John 10. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep…I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me” (John 10:11, 14). What a privilege to worship the God of the universe who knows each of his sheep!
When Hearts Wander
These verses stand in contrast to what comes next in Psalm 95 as the psalmist cautions worshippers to remember their ancestors who wandered from their Good Shepherd. They hardened their hearts at Meribah (v.8). They put God to the test, despite witnessing his wondrous works to deliver them from slavery (v.9). They grumbled and complained and doubted God’s goodness. They did not give him thanks for his faithfulness to them and to his covenant. They were rebellious and hard-hearted. As a result, they did not experience the Lord’s rest (v. 11). They wandered in the desert for forty years and missed out on entering the Promised Land.
Psalm 95 reminds worshippers just how important it is to keep our minds and hearts fixed on the character and works of God and to respond to him with thanksgiving, for we are prone to wander. We so easily forget what the Lord has done for us. Like Israel, we forget the God who rescued and delivered us the moment we hunger. When Israel faced difficult circumstances, they were quick to respond with their own “if-only’s.” “If only the LORD had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.” (Ex. 16:3). They remembered the food they ate in Egypt and longed to return back to slavery rather than trust in the God who owns all the fields of the earth. And we do the same. But praise God for his grace toward those who wander! Our Good Shepherd will never let even one of his sheep go far (Luke 15:3-7). And no one can take his sheep from him: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28).
When we come into God’s presence, dwelling on who he is and what he has done, our discontented hearts are reshaped into grateful ones. We respond in joy and thanksgiving. For he is our God; he know us and we know him.
Photo by Tanner Yould on Unsplash
