Psalm 47

Psalm 47 
  New International Version (NIV)

  1 Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. 2 For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth. 3 He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet. 4 He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.
  5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets. 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. 7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.
  8 God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. 9 The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.

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  When the best player in the Cincinnati Reds lineup comes to the plate, people cheer wildly before he takes a single swing, because his past actions have proved that he is worthy of admiration from those who love baseball.
  When the worst player comes to the plate, not many people cheer, because his actions aren't nearly as worthy of praise.  If I'm watching, my attention may drift when this player bats, because I expect disappointment.

  God has created the world out of nothing.  He has created us from nothing and breathed life into us.  When we turned from him with malice and selfishness in our hearts, he reached out to us in love and offered his most precious and only Son in the hopes of redeeming us from our sin.  When death threatened to destroy us, he shattered its power with his mighty fist and secured an eternal future with him in the throneroom of heaven for each and every one who believes.

  How shall you respond to the God who has acted in such magnificent ways and shall continue to do so forever?

  May we respond with grateful praise and shouts of worship!