This morning we had the privilege of hearing from Dr. Rod Cooper, Director of Counseling at Gordon-Conwell, along with many other responsibilities there at the seminary. Dr. Cooper walked us through Psalm 95 as it relates to our worship and worry.

There is an old proverb that says, “The bow that is always bent, will soon break.” In our culture today, we suffer from stress, fear, and anxiety. We worry. Many feel that there is too much to go on as it relates to finances, health, children, parents, and other issues within our society. Psalm 95 is a praise Psalm that gives God glory for His provision. This Psalm has two “Calls to Worship” and a warning.

1. 1st Call to Worship (v1-5) – We must come before Him with a ringing SHOUT in our hearts. Collectively as the body of Christ, we should celebrate that God once again did it. He walked us through another week. Why? Because He is the Creator and keeper of the cosmos. He “made” the universe much like the potter fashions clay into art. When we focus on God, our worship outweighs our worry.

2. 2nd Call to Worship (v6-7) – God is intimately personal. Just as He made the cosmos, He made each one of us personally and intimately. He cares, and He sees His creation as GOOD! Just as the shepherd cares for His sheep and are ready to respond when the sheep calls out, our Good Shepherd watches over us and is ready to respond when we call out to Him in faith.

3. Warning (v8-11) – We are prone to forget the greatness of God, and when we do, it delays God’s intended blessing for His people. We see this in Exodus 17 as God is displeased with the Israelites for not trusting Him. That generation never saw the Promised Land. Worry takes us down a path to unbelief. We cannot see him and therefor we forget our history and worry about our future. We need to be like Joshua in Joshua 5-6 because he worships God instead of focusing on Jericho.

1. Do you ever try to be in control? How do you live differently when you realize that only God is in control? How do you “manage” in light of that truth?

2. What are the hardest things going on in your life today? Do you believe He can handle anything that is going on in your life?

3. When is a time in your life when you focused on worship more than worry? How about worry more than worship? What were the outcomes of those situations?

Holy Father, thank You for being a faithful God who is consistent. I choose to worship you today for who You are and what You have done. I know that I need to keep my life and situations in perspective. You are a Big God who cares about the details of my life. Too often, I choose to worry about things that I have no control over. I will choose today to worship you and trust those things to You. Help me to have faith. I want to fully trust You with every detail.