Sing for joy! Raise a song! Worship leaders exhort us to praise God, sometimes even incorporating the sorts of percussion and string instruments mentioned in verse 2. And although many people sing along, many engage in public worship only out of a sense of duty, because God commands it (verse 4).

But God would have us move beyond a sense of obligation to experience true joy in His presence. That’s why he reminds His people of the way He delivered them from the burdens of slavery in Egypt (verses 6-7). And it is still the case that gratitude for our salvation provides a powerful motive for prayer and praise.

But let’s face it – worship isn’t always easy. When disappointments come our way, it’s easy to feel that God is distant or uncaring. Worse yet, when we remain stubbornly focused on our own desires, we may not even see the point in listening to God’s Word or in giving God the glory for the things He has done (verses 11 and 12).

That was true even for the generation that saw God parting the waters of the Red Sea to let them escape from Pharaoh’s army. For when they reached a place called Meribah, they rebelled against the Lord, accusing Him of leading them into the desert only to kill them with thirst (verse 7; Exodus 17:1-7). Instead of trusting in the Lord to provide for them, they worshipped all sorts of foreign gods (verse 9).

But no matter how rebellious we have been, no matter how far away from God we may have wandered, He wants us to come back home. And He promises not only to subdue our enemies (verse 14), but also to fill our mouths with blessings (verse 10), even with the finest wheat and honey (verse 16).

So, on this New Year’s feast day (v. 3), let us remember the Lord’s blessings and answer His call to worship. Let us praise God not because we have to but because we want to: because our Heavenly Father has loved us enough to give us not only the food on our tables, but the true Bread of Heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ. Surely the One Who laid down His life for us is worthy of our most joyful praise.

Psalm 81 (NASB)

For the choir director; on the Gittith. A Psalm of Asaph . Sing for joy to God our strength; Shout joyfully to the God of Jacob.
2 Raise a song, strike the timbrel, The sweet sounding lyre with the harp.
3 Blow the trumpet at the new moon, At the full moon, on our feast day.
4 For it is a statute for Israel, An ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 He established it for a testimony in Joseph, When he went throughout the land of Egypt. I heard a language that I did not know:
6 “I relieved his shoulder of the burden, His hands were freed from the basket.
7 “You called in trouble, and I rescued you; I answered you in the hiding place of thunder; I proved you at the waters of Meribah. Selah.
8 “Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you; O Israel, if you would listen to Me!
9 “Let there be no strange god among you; Nor shall you worship any foreign god.
10 “I, the LORD, am your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.
11 “But My people did not listen to My voice; And Israel did not obey Me.
12 “So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, To walk in their own devices.
13 “Oh that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways!
14 “I would quickly subdue their enemies, And turn My hand against their adversaries.
15 “Those who hate the LORD would pretend obedience to Him; And their time of punishment would be forever.
16 “But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat; And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”