Sing to the Lord

 

Scripture

Psalm 96

¹ O sing to the Lord a new song;
    sing to the Lord, all the earth.
² Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
    tell of his salvation from day to day.
³ Declare his glory among the nations,
    his marvelous works among all the peoples.
⁴ For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
    he is to be revered above all gods.
⁵ For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
    but the Lord made the heavens.
⁶ Honor and majesty are before him;
    strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

⁷ Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
⁸ Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    bring an offering, and come into his courts.
⁹ Worship the Lord in holy splendor;
    tremble before him, all the earth.

¹⁰ Say among the nations, “The Lord is king!
    The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.
    He will judge the peoples with equity.”
¹¹ Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
    let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
¹²     let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
¹³     before the Lord; for he is coming,
    for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
    and the peoples with his truth.   (NRSV)

 

Devotion

I love music.  That love meant that for me personally, one of the hardest things about the pandemic was having to put a lengthy pause to joint singing.  At the same time, one of the most beautiful and fascinating things was the proliferation of hymnody that poured onto YouTube.  From friends posting amateur videos of playing from hymnals in their apartment to the more technologically savvy musicians who brought people from around the world together in online choir productions, the internet resounded with songs of praise.  Songs of lament.  Songs of comfort.  Regardless of production quality or denominational affiliation, each piece moved my heart.

Music moves us.  From a purely scientific standpointt, listening to music  been proven to stimulate more regions of the brain than any other human function.  While there are debates as to exactly how/why it provides such an emotional response, it seems as if we are mentally and emotionally "hard wired to respond to music." As opera singer Irene Gubrud puts it, "as a very young child, I experienced who I as through sound.  I felt whole."

From a faith perspective, hymnody and other religious musical expressions don't just praise God. They create an emotional connection between ourselves and the divine.  That connection helps instill certain beliefs in us and provides a powerful reminder of those beliefs when we need them.  

Whatever reminders of God's power, faithfulness, and goodness, we need, there is a song for that.  Need a reminder of all that God gives us that we should be thankful for?  Why not turn to "Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty" or "We Thank Thee All our God."  Want to consider God's glory? Well, then it might be time to turn to "Holy, Holy, Holy"  Feeling lost and alone?  Perhaps singing "His Eye is on the Sparrow" or "Amazing Grace" will help.  Angry at the injustices of human life and in need of a reminder that God's will will triumph?  "Eyes on the Prize" or "We shall Overcome" can help.  Desperate for a reminder of our hope in the Resurrection?  "Will the Circle be Unbroken," "Wayfaring Stranger" or "Angel Band" may be just what you need.

We don't need the world's best voices in order to take up the discipline of hymn singing.  We don't even need to join a choir or sing aloud.  We simply need to be willing to open open our hymnals, pop in our records/CD's, or head over to YouTube and then let our lips move along with the lyrics.  As the music washes over us, we can invite the Holy Spirit to move within our hearts and minds, provoking a reaction within us.  God will use our built-in biological affinity to music to do the rest.

We can also approach things from the other end.  If you catch yourself humming a certain song (be it religious or secular) it's a good idea take the time out to ask yourself why that particular piece...and then reflect on what the answer may demonstrate what the Holy Spirit is helping your work on.  For instance, when I find myself humming certain songs from my favorite anime, it's usually a sign that I need to ask Christ for courage or confidence.   If "Eleanor Rigby" or "While My Guitar Gently Weeps,"  gets stuck in my head... well, that's a sure sign that I need to take some frustrations and/or despair about the world's sinfulness to Jesus before they eat me alive. Greenday's "Time of Your Life" is a sign that I am feeling thankful for God's guidance throughout my life, while "Freshman" by Verve Pipe means I am struggling with the guilt and shame of past mistakes.  When I am self-aware enough to realize what's going on and take those things to God, then Christ helps me work through things in ways that continue to deepen my faith.

 This week, I encourage you to spend some time thinking about the soundtrack of your life.  What hymns might help you connect to Christ in the coming days...or what does the music you are already thinking about encourage you to work on with Jesus?  And what song is Christ inspiring your soul to sing?

 

 Prayer

Jesus, I want to praise you with all that I am.  May the songs the Holy Spirit has put in my heart help me draw nearer to you in every aspect of my life.  May they inspire me to turn to you when I am in need, do your good work when asked to do so, and glorify your name in all things.  Amen.