SPB Sermons | Sunday 7 June 2026

Praise in Every Season

What do we do when things change — when the unexpected arrives and the ground beneath us feels less solid? Psalm 33 gives us the answer: we worship. Not in ignorance of our circumstances, but because in them, the God we worship is still the same.

When Things Change

Change is inevitable, and yet it never becomes any easier when it arrives. When the unexpected becomes real before us, we can feel the urge to sit still, or to look back and long for what used to be. When that comfort fades, we reach for something else — busyness, work, people, schemes. But Psalm 33, read alongside Psalm 32, asks a different question of those who live as citizens of the Kingdom of God. What should we do when the ground shifts? We worship. We praise. Not because of our circumstances, and not in ignorance of them, but because the God we worship is still the same.

The Joy of Worship

"Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him."

This is not a suggestion. It is a command to praise — and to collective, joyful praise at that. The image of worship in the opening verses is abundant and musical: lyres and harps, shouts of joy, a new song. The Psalmist does not envisage a modest, dour, or lifeless gathering. Nor does he envisage praise only when it suits us or when things are easy. The call is to continuous worship, together, in every season.

Praise is not passive: it is the active, outward expression of a life lived in the presence of God.

Worship is not just singing: it is the deepening of our life in God by the Spirit — the remedy the Psalms prescribe for the dark seasons of life.

Our song can be new every day — because his mercies are new every morning, and our life with God is never static.

The God We Worship

He Spoke, and the World Began

God made the heavens and their starry hosts by the breath of his mouth. He set the limits of the oceans. He sustains all things by his Word and presence. And the evidence of his unfailing love surrounds us in the common graces of every day — the beauty of creation, the coffee in the morning, the person who brings us peace. These are all reminders of the God who is worthy of our worship.

The Security of Worship

He Knows Us and He Is in Control

God frustrates the schemes of nations and rulers to fulfil his own plans, which stand firm forever. And from heaven he looks down and sees each of us — individually, intimately. He formed us, and he keeps an eye on us. Nothing we carry is unknown to him or outside his concern. That is the foundation on which we can worship in the valley as well as on the mountain.

The Heart of the Sermon

Only God Can Rescue — and His Eye Is on Those Who Hope in Him

The Psalm confronts us with the things we reach for when life feels uncertain. A king is not saved by the size of his army. A warrior cannot find rescue in his own strength. No matter how fast the horse, it cannot outrun the worries of life. We might say: a superpower will not be saved by its bombs; a person cannot find rescue in the size of their bank balance. The idols of every age are ultimately nothing before the problem of eternity.

But look — the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his unfailing love. He rescues from death and sustains in the seasons of famine — those times when life feels too much, the burden too heavy, the resources too scarce. In worship, we keep our eyes lifted and our hearts set on the goodness of God, even when his plans make little sense.

Hope From Our Worship

The Psalm closes collectively: "We wait for the Lord; he is our help and our shield." Praise in every season strengthens our trust in God and deepens our collective joy — not because we are ignorant of what is going on, but because we have hope through what is going on that God is at work. CS Lewis observed that the humblest and most capacious minds praised most, while the cranks and malcontents praised least — that inner health made audible.

And so the Psalm ends with the simplest and most profound of prayers: "May your faithful love rest on us, Lord, for we put our hope in you." That is our prayer in every season — on the mountain top, on the hillside, and in the dark valley. The God we worship is still the same.

Listen to the Sermon

The full sermon is available to listen to now. We hope it lifts your eyes, strengthens your trust, and sends you back into your week with a fresh song — whatever season you find yourself in.

Join Us

You Would Be Very Welcome

St Paul's & St Barnabas is an Anglican evangelical parish in the heart of North Belfast, seeking to make Christ known and to love our city in his name. Whatever season you find yourself in, you would be very welcome to come and worship with us.

Join us in person on Sundays at 208 York Street, Belfast.

May Your Faithful Love Rest on Us, Lord

On the mountain top we are called to worship. On the hillside, our job is to praise. And when we find ourselves in the dark valley, it is still fitting for the upright to praise him. Because what we have received by faith in Christ can never be taken from us by our circumstances — and the God we worship is still the same.