Lent Devotional

My name is Jeff Harding, and I am privileged to serve as the Student Pastor here at Fellowship. I have been in my current role since July 2025, but I previously served at Fellowship for almost three years during my time at Dallas Seminary — first as a volunteer high school small group leader (Oct 2009 – July 2010) and then on staff under Mike Heinz as the Junior High Program Director (Aug 2010 – May 2012). I met my wife, Faith, during that first season on staff while she was serving as a junior high volunteer. We will be married for 13 years this April, and we have two children: our son, Deacon (6), and our daughter, Story (2). It's such a blessing to be back home at Fellowship Dallas!

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This psalm is prolific in both its language and its imagery of God's glory and righteousness. The beautiful themes of salvation and faithfulness to God's people are clearly seen through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Indeed, Christ is how "the Lord has made His salvation known" and "revealed His righteousness" (v. 2), and He is the "King" before whom we shall "shout joyfully" (v. 6). While there are many instances of God showing "graciousness and faithfulness to the house of Israel" (v. 3) through battles and times of need, the greatest evidence of His faithfulness is the grace He provided through faith in Jesus.

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As is common in praise hymns, the vivid descriptions of creation worshiping God tie back beautifully to Christ, who is the very instrument of creation (Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2). Take a close look at verse 4 and verses 7–9; do they sound familiar? Perhaps you catch flashes of Christmas as you read them. These verses were actually the inspiration for Isaac Watts to compose "Joy to the World" in 1719! While verse 9 is the clearest indicator, the way this psalm ties back to Christ is not actually a foretelling of His birth. Both Psalm 98 and "Joy to the World" speak of the Second Advent — the return of Christ. Learning that during my seminary days gave me a new appreciation for singing that song at Christmas. How appropriate it is to look forward to the hope we have in Christ, regardless of the season!

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Just as Psalm 98 describes, Jesus told the Pharisees that if His disciples had kept silent instead of praising Him during His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the rocks themselves would have cried out (Luke 19:40). Sadly, the frequency with which I praise and thank Jesus for what He has done is far less than it should be. For every time I praise Him, there are many other moments where I refrain. Lord, forgive my ignorance and guide my wayward heart back to You.

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I hope this passage leads us to honor God, as it serves as a sweeping and powerful reminder of why we recognize and praise Him: His righteousness, His might, and the perfection that defines His glory. He is the God of our salvation, provided through Christ. His creation — all around us and throughout the cosmos — sings of His wonder. While the majority of the Psalms are laments (fitting for a broken people in need of redemption), praise hymns like this one should inspire us to bless others with the Good News of what our Creator has done for us through His Son, the instrument of all creation — Jesus.