“O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and holy arm have gotten him victory” (Psalm 98:1). I like this psalm because it is a reminder for giving God praise even in the toughest of times.

The psalm takes in the whole range of God’s victories as it recalls the exodus and celebrates the new exodus from Babylon. Psalm 98 is an affirmation of God’s reign. “What new song is God inviting you to sing?”

It has been a particularly hard year with COVID-19 cases that have forced us away from our traditional worship spaces thereby making it difficult for “singing a new song.”

But this psalm reminds us as Christians that we have a song to sing because we stand before and worship a God who loves us. We are invited to sing anew the old songs — songs that recall all that God has done with the promise that God is alive and active in our own time. We too are in bondage to many things.

We are overwhelmed and saddened by the messiness of the world and our contribution to the chaos that surrounds us. We are mired in greed, addictions, and estrangement from God, each other and our own selves. But through the birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, God shows us again that God is the one who reigns with strong arms and mighty hands.

What God did for Israel, God continues to do for us — bringing salvation, justice, and wholeness to our hearts. God still makes a way out of no way.

During this Easter season, we remembered that a cross and a tomb cannot define or limit God. In whatever conditions, circumstances, or contexts, God continues to do marvelous things. We are invited to sing anew the songs that give honor and praise to a God who is just, fair, and faithful.

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Finding Faith is written by area pastors. This week’s column comes from Rev. Alison W. Grove, pastor of Covenant and Faith United Methodist Churches, Lock Haven.