Back in secondary school, I was introduced to the world of school cheers. As a Secondary One student, I had to learn the school cheers by heart. Over the four years of secondary school, we students had to show up at various sports competitions to cheer our athletes on. I remember the National Track and Field Competition especially well. Many of us would turn up at the grandstands of the National Stadium, and as our athletes ran their races, we cheered at the top of our lungs and sang songs of victory. The school spirit was alive and strong in those moments.

Psalm 98 is very much like that, a victory song. But instead of celebrating athletes who won medals, the psalm celebrates the mighty acts of God. The psalmist reminds Israel that their victories came not from their own strength, but from the God’s power and salvation (verses 1–3). They were invited to “sing a new song”—a fresh anthem of praise to the God who continues to deliver His people and make all things new.

Yet this song was never meant for Israel alone. The psalmist calls not just Israel, but all the earth to sing for joy to the Lord, their King (verses 4–6). Nations, voices, and instruments were invited to join this chorus. And as if that was not wide enough, the psalmist lifts our vision even higher: the rivers, the seas, the mountains themselves are pictured as bursting into praise before the Lord who will come to judge the world with righteousness and truth (verses 7–9).

For us today, this psalm finds its fulfilment in Jesus Christ. He is the Victor who has defeated sin and death through the cross and the resurrection. He is the King who reigns over all the earth today. And He is the Judge who will one day return to set all things right and restore creation to its perfect harmony. That is why we, too, can sing a new song of victory daily, not just with our lips, but with our lives.

What “song” does your life sing today? Is it a song of fear, worry, or self-reliance? Or is it a new song of joy, hope, and trust in Christ’s victory? Psalm 98 invites us to lift our eyes beyond ourselves, and to join the great chorus of creation in celebrating our Lord who saves, reigns, and will return.

Prayer:

Dear God, thank You for the salvation I have in Jesus Christ. Teach me to sing a new song each day, not only with my voice, but through my words, actions, and life. Help me to live with joy and confidence, knowing that You are my Saviour, my King, and the coming Judge. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.