A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 98

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 98
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! For He has done marvelous things;
His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory. Let the rivers clap their hands; Let the hills be joyful together before the Lord, For He is coming to judge the earth (Psalm 98:1, 8-9).
 
God has given us so much to rejoice and sing about. What a blessing music is in the heart of the redeemed! The Lord’s victory over sin, and His coming again to establish His kingdom on earth is certainly something to sing about! It’s one of the biggest, most important events recorded in Scripture. What a celebration the coming of the Lord will be! Our salvation in Jesus means we who love Him will enter into all God has prepared for us. 
 
As a new believer, at the age of 19, I became aware of Christian music for the first time. Most of the songs I heard and sang were hymns. To this day I continue to love the depth of the lyrics in classic hymns. Many hymns include the theme of the second coming of Christ. The hymn Christ is Coming From on High by Henry Ostrom is one example. (Perhaps this hymn was inspired by Psalm 98?)
 
Heirs of vic­to­ry are we
Through the Christ of Cal­va­ry;
Storms may beat and foes as­sail;
But His king­dom can­not fail.
Christ is com­ing, shout your praise;
Lo! the dawn of bet­ter days;
Christ is com­ing from on high,
Victory is ve­ry nigh;
Christ is com­ing from on high,
Victory is ve­ry nigh.
He who came will come again;
Raise your hopes, O sons of men!
We His king­dom’s dawn have seen;
What though clouds may in­ter­vene?
His ap­pear­ing draw­eth nigh;
Cease your doubt­ing, hush the sigh,
Our in­her­it­ance is sure;
Christ hath made His Word se­cure.
Lo! He com­eth, and shall reign;
We have not be­lieved in vain;
In our hearts who speaks re­lease
Brings from Heav’n His reign of peace.
 
In the early 70s I started listening to the contemporary Christian music coming out of Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, California. The songs of that era impacted a generation! Songs about the victory of Jesus and His second coming were an important part of the Jesus People movement. Two of those songs were I Wish We’d All Been Ready by Larry Norman, and Maranatha by Chuck Girard and Love Song.

Here are the Lyrics to Maranatha…
Maranatha, Maranatha, the Master's comin' home
We must prepare our hearts so we can meet Him,
Maranatha, Maranatha, the Lord is comin' back
We must be filled with love to truly greet Him.
The Master went away from us two thousand years ago. He left us with His promise to return.
How our hearts do long for Him, we miss the Master so. We must keep the faith and let the fire burn.
He left this world in tragedy, He let them take His life, He sacrificed His blood by His own choice.
When He returns in glory, He'll come to claim His flock, The Master loves the ones who know His voice.
 
The Bible is alive with the promises of Jesus’ second coming. These promises far out number the promises of His first coming. There are over 300 promises in Scripture that speak about the Lord’s return. It’s something God wants us to know about, to care about, to talk about, and to rejoice about. It is the hope of all hopes. It is the greatest ending to the greatest story ever told! It will be the one event that actually fulfills the popular saying, “It can’t get any better than that!”
 
Insight: Here are a few things we can BE as we await His return:
BE alert,
BE unafraid,
BE standing firm,
BE watchful,
BE ready,
BE faithful,
BE wise,
BE expectant.

#psalms #devotional #devotion #roylessin #meetinginthemeadow
©2026 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.
 
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