Go! And Sing To The God Who Rescues - Psalm 68:4–5 Series

Go! And Sing to the God Who Rescues - Psalm 68:4–5

Psalm 68:4–5 (NLT)

“Sing praises to God and to his name!

Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds.

His name is the LORD—

rejoice in his presence!

Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—

this is God, whose dwelling is holy.”

Introduction: The God Who Comes Near

When life feels unstable—when grief presses in, when loneliness bites, when injustice feels unchecked—we need more than empty platitudes. We need the presence of the living God.

Psalm 68 is a majestic, poetic celebration of God’s saving power. It is a victory march. It’s a proclamation that God is not distant. He is near. He is personal. He defends. He rescues. And He reigns!

1. Go! And Sing—Because God is Worthy of Praise

Psalm 68:4 (NLT): “Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the LORD—rejoice in his presence!”

The Hebrew phrase (shiru l’elohim) is an imperative—“Sing!” It’s not a suggestion; it’s a command! Praise is the rightful response to the glory of God.

“Rides the clouds” recalls God’s majesty and sovereignty, echoing Exodus 13 when He led Israel in a pillar of cloud. But more than that, this phrase anticipates Christ Himself—who in Matthew 26:64 declares that He will return “seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Philippians 2:9–11 (NLT): “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names…”

Jesus is the LORD—the exalted One whose name we rejoice in. So we don’t praise out of obligation; we praise out of awe!

Max Lucado once wrote, “Worship is the thank you that refuses to be silenced.”

Friends, when we realise who Jesus is—when we comprehend the cross and the empty tomb—how can we not sing? Our “thank You” should echo into eternity.

2. Go! And Trust—Because God Defends the Broken

Psalm 68:5 (NLT): “Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—this is God, whose dwelling is holy.”

The Hebrew word (av) means father—but here it signifies more than biology. It is protection, provision, and presence. God steps in where others have stepped out.

In a world that discards the vulnerable, our holy God draws near to them. And He doesn’t just observe—He defends. The Hebrew (shofet), translated “defender,” is also a legal term—He is Judge and Advocate.

James 1:27 (NLT): “Pure and genuine religion… means caring for orphans and widows in their distress…”

Jesus came for the outcast, the overlooked, the forgotten. And that means you and me, because spiritually, we are all fatherless until we come to the Father through Jesus.

There’s a story of a child in an orphanage who was never adopted. One day, a visitor asked what he wanted most. He replied: “I want someone to call me theirs.”

That is what God offers in Christ. He says, “You are Mine.”

3. Go! And Believe—Because Christ Came to Save

Psalm 68 is ultimately about God delivering His people—through wilderness, war, and wandering. But the greatest deliverance came not through Moses, but through Jesus Christ.

John 3:16–17 (NLT): “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 (NLT): “I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.”

My friends, these two passages present the very heartbeat of the gospel.

John 3:16–17 reminds us of the motive behind the mission of Christ—love. Not condemnation. Not wrath. But love. God didn’t send Jesus to point fingers; He sent Him to open arms. The cross is not a symbol of guilt, it’s a symbol of grace. Jesus came not to shame us, but to save us.

Then 1 Corinthians 15:3–4 declares the method of that salvation—Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. This isn’t myth or metaphor. It’s history. This is the gospel handed down, the gospel we now live by and proclaim. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation of our faith and the assurance of our hope.

So today, rejoice! You are not forgotten. You are loved. You are rescued by a Saviour who conquered sin and death for you.

Jesus is the ultimate defender. On the cross, He bore our sin. In the tomb, He carried our shame. And through the resurrection, He secured our hope.