There are psalms that whisper comfort, psalms that lament in the shadows, and psalms that roar with joy. Psalm 100 is one of the latter, a jubilant summons to lift our voices in praise. It doesn’t speak of quiet meditation or hushed reverence, but of gladness, song, and overflowing thanksgiving. It’s as if the psalmist is saying: Come on, everyone, join the choir, join the dance, lift up your hearts.

We’re reminded to worship the Lord with gladness because he made us and we belong to him. That’s where our joy takes root. We’re not lost wanderers in an indifferent universe, but cherished sheep under a faithful shepherd’s care. To know that we’re his is to discover both identity and home.

The psalm beckons us further: Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. In the temple days, pilgrims would come streaming into Jerusalem, hearts and voices full of song. Today, the invitation is just as real. Every time we draw near, whether through prayer at the kitchen table, hymns in church, or even a whispered ‘thank you’ on a morning run, we step into God’s courts. Gratitude is our ticket of entry, praise the language of belonging.

The psalm closes with the surest anchor of all, For the Lord is good and his love endures for ever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. What steadies us in changing times is God’s unchanging character. His goodness isn’t fickle, his love doesn’t run dry, his faithfulness doesn’t skip a generation. What our grandparents knew, what we know, what our children and grandchildren will know, the same God holds us all.

The challenge is simple yet searching, do we let thanksgiving set the rhythm of our lives? Or do we allow complaint, worry, or weariness to be louder? Psalm 100 invites us to practice joy, to live gratefully, and to trust the love that will never let us go.