By Sister Georganne Leonard

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

When Drew, our oldest, was in 2nd grade, he had the opportunity to participate in a speech event sponsored by ACSI (Assoc. of Christian Schools). The children were to present memorized Bible verses and comment upon them.

Drew needed a challenge to go deeper into the Word, so he and I chose Psalm 100. I created incentives and embarked on the daily work of helping this 7-year-old not just recite the psalm but own it. I learned it with him. Day by day, Drew got it down. Not only did he remember the words but grasped and could explain the meaning.

We’d practice the whole Psalm responsively: Me – “Shout” Drew – “for” Me – “joy”… back and forth. I wanted him to “know it in his knower.” A phrase made famous by Ashram evangelist Bill Sammons.

Today, I called him and found at 35 he could still recite Psalm 100. He said, “Mom, I remember the fun of working on it with you and the competition. It has had value.” He had made it his own and we had made a memory.

Since learning it, Psalm 100 has been a way to reach deep when I needed to praise God and lacked a place to begin. The opening phrase alone, “Shout for joy,” shifts something inside me. By the time I have “shouted,” “worshiped” and “come,” as the Psalm commands, I’ve moved out of one place into another.

It is a psalm full of so much promise. It announces who I am and who God is. I too can “know it in my knower.”

Psalm 100 has brought me back to God, to praise, and lifted me out of the occasional muck and mire of life, time and again. It’s like standing on solid ground, on concrete. This is where the rubber meets the road. When it’s hard to praise, I go here. It’s awesome. This psalm changes my perspective.

Try it yourself. Just say the words and see what God does. “Shout for joy to the Lord” “Know that the Lord is God.” Remember: ”His faithfulness continues through all generations.”