Over the past few weeks, I have run into many
scriptures about singing a new song to the Lord.
After about the sixth one, I sat down with Jesus for
a talk.
“Okay,
what’s this about, Jesus? Why is a new song so important?”
Jesus didn’t let me stew long. The very next day I
was having lunch in a local cafeteria and overheard many disgruntled comments
from other customers.
"End
times are near.”
“People
are so mean, I’m keeping the dog inside.”
“Christmas?
Who cares. I can’t afford a free pine cone.”
“Look
at those jokers running for President. None of them can run this country.”
“I’m
tired of my daughter putting off on me all the time. She needs a job, not me.”
"Close
the borders. We’ve got enough problems here.”
“Muslims
are killers.”
I’m not making a judgment call here. What I want you
to see is the negative comments. And it went on and on. In fact, I tried hard
to hear some good news. I left the diner and went to Walmart. It was packed.
Again, I tried hard to listen in on other’s conversations. (I’ll probably go to
jail for this. Yikes, that was negative!) Everything was grumbling and
complaining.
Driving home, I kept thinking, We’ve got to sing a new song. Then I realized that I’m the one who
has to sing a new song. It begins with me. What would have happened had I said
something positive to liven up someone’s mood or countered a bitter comment
with soothing words?
Yes, our world looks swollen with distrust, apathy,
and anger. When bad things happen, people naturally begin to see the worse
possible scenario. When bad things continue to happen, and the news is full of
it, fear and anxiety heighten.
But . . . if we started singing a new song of joy
every time we heard something disconcerting, I wonder what would happen?
Psalm
98:1 “Oh 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.”
Psalm
40:3 “He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see
and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.”
Psalm
96:1-13 “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. Declare His
glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples! For great
is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.”
Exodus
15:1-27 “Then Moses and the people of Israel sand this song to the Lord,
saying, “I will sing to the Lord for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and
his rider He has thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song, and
He has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s
God, and I will exalt Him. The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is His name.”
These and several more verses exalt God above all
things.
I don’t know about you, but when I get in my car I
put on my praise music and I sing. Loud! I don’t care what’s on my mind and
heart; I don’t care how sour my day has been, when I hear the song, “I will
love you” by Jason Crabb, I forget all the mess and remember the One who takes all
that mess and makes it beautiful.
I’m ready for a new song. A song that reminds me
that God’s got the whole world in His hands and all situations under His will. Don’t
get me wrong. We can’t put our head in the sand. We have to be aware of current
events. We have to understand that evil is a mighty presence in this world. We
have to be prepared . . . to armor up and stand firm. But we don’t have to let
all this world’s turmoil tie us up in fearful knots. There is too much to be
done for the kingdom of God.
In 2 Chronicles 20:15-23 scripture tells us, “Listen, King Jehoshaphat
and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do
not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not
yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow march down against them. 17 You will not have to
fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance
the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be
discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’
18
Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah
and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord.
20 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of
Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and
people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld;
have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” 21 After consulting the
people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing
to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out
at the head of the army, saying:
“Give
thanks to the Lord,
for
his love endures forever.”
22 As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and
Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.”
Sing praises even when the battle is thick. Let the
Lord know we are depending on Him to battle for us. We need only be prepared
when He calls us to action. In the meantime, we have work to do – to tell everyone
about Jesus.
Let everyone hear our new song, “Jesus Christ is
Lord! He has come to save all who believe in Him. Rise up, pray, praise, and sing!”
God bless you!
Angela
