A Reason to Rejoice

Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!  Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.  Psalm 96:1-2

I wish you could have been in our Ascension Day service last week.  There was the most amazing little girl sitting in front of us.  Her beautiful brown eyes could have in no way prepared us for the joy that her voice would bring.  The opening hymn she was not familiar with, and so as the congregation sang, she colored quietly and every once in a while peeked behind her to see her mother waiting for her turn in the choir loft.  Then came the piece de resistance, The Hymn of Praise, (This is the Feast.) This one she knew, and though she was unsure of the verses, each time we sang the chorus, she could be heard above all of the timid adults sitting in the rows of pews behind her.  She didn’t just sing, she sang and she smiled and she danced.  What a joy she was to watch!

When it comes to singing in church on Sunday morning, or any day of the week for that matter, look to your right, then look to your left.  One of these people can’t carry a tune in a bucket.  Maybe you can’t either.  It’ okay because if you look to your right and left again, two of these people don’t care.  I know it’s hard to believe, but they really don’t.  When the Psalmist said, “Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!” he knew that a joyful noise was any made to give thanks and praise to God.  There were no qualifiers given.

David was definitely musically inclined, but I wonder if even he had a hard time controlling the pitch of his voice while worrying whether or not Saul was going to be throwing another spear at his head.  Maybe Mary’s voice warbled.  Maybe Moses was tone deaf.  I feel pretty confident in guessing that not everyone who sang in the Bible sang like angels.  Wouldn’t it be funny to get to heaven and discover that angels don’t really sing like angels either?  Regardless, the people of God are noted time and time again as signing praises to Him.

As we read God’s word together in our devotion time at home, the words that get the attention of my children more than any other are the ones they know from songs they have learned in VBS, or Sunday school, or ones that their dad and I have taught them.  It is through song that the word of God really sticks with them.  I would encourage you to impress upon your children the word of God through song no matter what your voice may sound like. 

Sing!  Sing it like you mean it.  Sing like you do in the car when the windows are rolled up.  Sing like all of our lives depend on the message you are proclaiming to your children and those around you.  They do, don’t they?  Sing of the gift of salvation offered through the Savior of the world.  If ever you needed a reason to rejoice, He is it!

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody!  Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn!  I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.  For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!  In Jesus Name, Amen!