**The Song of Creation: A Psalm 98 Story**

The earth lay still beneath a sky brushed with the first light of dawn. The hills stood like silent sentinels, waiting. The rivers murmured softly, as if holding their breath. All creation seemed poised, as though anticipating a great and glorious announcement. Then, from the depths of the heavens, a sound began to rise—a sound unlike any heard before. It was the sound of victory, of salvation, of a love so mighty it could split the seas and shake the mountains.

For the Lord had done a marvelous thing.

In the courts of heaven, the angels leaned in as the echoes of God’s triumph resounded through eternity. His right hand and holy arm had worked salvation—not just for one people, but for all the ends of the earth. The nations, once lost in shadow, now beheld the light of His righteousness. The Lord had remembered His steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel, yet His mercy stretched farther than the east from the west. The seas roared their approval. The skies thundered with joy.

On the earth below, a shepherd boy named Asher stood on a hillside, his fingers tracing the strings of his lyre. He had heard the stories passed down from his fathers—how the Lord had parted the Red Sea, how He had brought down giants with a shepherd’s stone, how He had turned mourning into dancing. But now, as the wind carried the scent of wildflowers and the distant sound of rushing waters, Asher felt something new stirring in his spirit.

He lifted his voice and sang,

*”Sing to the Lord a new song,
for He has done marvelous things!
His right hand and His holy arm
have worked salvation for Him!”*

His melody soared, carried by the breeze, and as if in answer, the trees began to clap their branches. The birds joined in trilling harmonies. The rivers, no longer murmuring, leapt over their banks in exultation. Even the great deep seemed to hum in reverence.

Far to the east, in a land where foreign gods had once held sway, a queen named Liora stood on her palace balcony. She had heard whispers of a God whose love did not fade, whose justice did not falter. And now, as the sound of Asher’s song reached even her, carried by some unseen force, she felt her heart awaken. She turned to her servants and said, “We shall worship this God, for He has made His salvation known.”

Back in the hills of Judah, Asher’s song grew louder, joined now by the voices of his people. Priests blew trumpets of ram’s horn, their notes sharp and clear. Children danced with tambourines. The old and the young alike raised their hands, for the Lord was coming—not in wrath, but in righteousness to judge the earth.

And the earth itself rejoiced.

The mountains bowed their heads like elders in prayer. The fields swayed as if in dance. The creatures of the forest—the lion, the deer, the smallest of insects—paused and lifted their heads, sensing the nearness of their Creator. The sea, vast and untamed, roared its praise, while the rivers clapped like joyful hands.

For the Lord was King, and all creation was His throne.

As the sun reached its zenith, bathing the land in golden light, Asher fell to his knees, overcome. The song was no longer his alone—it belonged to the wind, to the waves, to every living thing that drew breath. The Lord had made His salvation known. He had revealed His righteousness before the nations. And now, all the earth would sing.

And so they did.

From the highest heavens to the depths of the sea, the universe resounded with one unending chorus:

*”Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth!
Break forth in joyous song and sing praises!”*

For the Lord had come, and He would come again. And every rock, every leaf, every beating heart would proclaim His glory until the end of days.