“I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.” Psalm 104:33
“Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him! Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises!” Psalm 47:1,6
On the way to church on Sunday, I heard an old Amy Grant song, “Sing Your Praise to the Lord.” It’s probably been years since I heard that song, and even longer since I actually focused on the content and meaning of the song. To be honest, the introduction and instrumentals in the song are so cool, that my brain has always been drawn to the music instead of paying attention to the words. When I heard the intro, I opened the window a little on a cool Texas morning, cranked up the volume, and tried my best to sing with Amy. With each breath, each attempt to spit out a line of words that I’d not thought of for years, the meaning behind them came to life, perhaps for the first time.
Sing your praise to the Lord, Come on everybody,
Stand up and sing...one more Hallelujah,
Give your praise to the Lord, I can never tell you,
Just how much good...that it's Gonna do ya
Just to sing...anew...The song your heart first learned to sing when He
First gave His life...to you...The life goes on and so must the song…
Singing praise to the Lord isn’t just for Sunday, you know. Our praises should be constant, not a set time to “praise” but a state of being. Yet, what happens when I begin to focus on my own life’s problems? Immediately, I stop praising. The focus is on ‘me” instead of God. It’s misdirected.
I love the line “life goes on and so must the song…” How true! Nearly everyone can identify something we are going through right now that is causing pain or emotional anguish. I sure can, and it doesn’t take even half a second to identify it, either. That’s how close to the surface it is. For you, maybe it’s the loss of a job or even being stuck in a job that consumes you. Maybe you feel like your family is falling apart. Maybe you’re a student who is overwhelmed with your workload. It could be financial burdens, health issues, a wayward child… Yes, we all have something. But God doesn’t promise us a life without problems; that’s not what being a Christian is all about. He does promises us that He will be here for us, and He promises abundant life in Him. IN HIM. Not in ME. The only way to have that is to stop the self- focus and direct it toward Him. “So life goes on, and so must the song.”
You gotta sing...again...The song born in your soul when you
First gave your heart...to Him...Sing His praises, once more
Sing your praise to the Lord, Come on everybody,
Stand up and sing...one more Hallelujah,
Give your praise to the Lord, I can never tell you,
Just how much good...that it's Gonna do ya
Think about the joy you had in your heart when you invited Jesus to take control. As a small child, I remember kneeling down one Sunday afternoon with my mom in my bedroom. She explained to me what the Bible says about becoming a Christian. As best I knew how, I prayed and asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins and take control of my life. Sure, I wasn’t a drug dealer or alcoholic, but I was a sinner just the same. If you were a child like me when you made that decision, maybe you can’t exactly relate to this song and describe the joy you felt. But I can sure describe the joy I have today because of that decision so many years ago. He has spared my life from so many bad decisions because I made the choice at a young age to give Him control. As I sang these words, I was reminded of the countless blessings God has given to me because I belong to Him. No matter what, I gotta keep singing; keep praising. “I can never tell you, just how much good that it’s gonna do ya!”
Just to sing...aloud...The song that someone is dying to hear
Down in the madd'ning crowd...As you once were before your heard the song,
You gotta let them know...The truth is a life to shine upon the way,
So maybe they...can go...Sing His praises, once more
Sing your praise to the Lord, Come on everybody,
Stand up and sing...one more Hallelujah,
Give your praise to the Lord, I can never tell you,
Just how much good...that it's Gonna do ya
How many missed opportunities have I had because my focus has been on me and my problems? I don’t think I want to know the answer to that. Would you? How many people around us are dying to hear about Jesus? OK, in today’s western society, it’s not like they are knocking on the door begging us all the time. But the truth is that people are searching for life’s answers, and it’s up to us to point them to the truth. A lot of people know about God -- even believe in Him. But so many have a misconception of Him and what the Bible says about becoming one of His children. Just because they believe doesn't mean they're a Christian. The Bible says in James 2:19 "even the demons believe!" We must be vocal. We must tell them the truth that it's only by putting your faith in Christ and Christ alone for salvation, repenting of sin, and giving Him control that is TRUTH. We must sing aloud! We must let them know “truth is a life to shine upon the way!”
Just to let the name of the Lord...Be praised, both for now, and evermore,
Praise Him all ye servants, Give Your praise to the Lord, Come on everybody,
Stand up and sing...one more Hallelujah,
Give your praise to the Lord, I can never tell you,
Just how much good...that it's Gonna do ya
Just to sing, sing sing...
Come on, sing, sing, sing...
I can hear you now, sing, sing, sing...
I learned a long time ago that when the path of life is blurry and you can’t quite see the way, all I need to do is put on my “Perspective Lenses.” Once I see myself and my problems with God’s perspective lenses, things start to become clear. I may think my problems are ginormous. (Yes, that’s a real word by the way, added to the dictionary in 2007!) But my perspective lenses tell me otherwise. They bring truth to focus. They tell me that God has a plan. It’s my choice to put this song into action each moment of the day.
So are you with me? Are you going to praise Him in the good and the bad? Are you going to praise Him “now and evermore?” Are you going to stand with me and sing “one more hallelujah!”? “I could never tell ya, how much good that it’s gonna do ya. Just to sing, sing, sing…Come on sing, sing, sing…I can hear you now, sing, sing, sing!”
-- Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com
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