The very first verse in this passage proclaims, “Praise the
Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song
of praise is fitting.” The writer of the Psalm loved to worship God through
song. Do you? No, really, do you? Do you think of lifting your voice in praise
to God as being “good?” Do you truly think it is “pleasant” to join with other
believers in song when you gather for worship?
Or…do you simply stand with your mouth (and heart?) closed
waiting for the song or songs to be over? Though I try not to spend time in
church looking at what other people are doing as we worship, I can’t help
noticing at times that there seem to be a number of people around who are not
participating. How sad! The single greatest sound of music that should come
from our churches is not a soloist or a choir or a band or an orchestra. No, it
should be the sound of the whole congregation lifting up their voices in praise
of God — speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.
So, if this is not what you do, perhaps the best first step
is repentance. And a helpful word is the definition of repentance: a change of
mind that results in a change of life. So ask God’s forgiveness on your lack of
participation and then begin to sing. And PLEASE remember that it doesn’t
matter how your voice sounds to others. To God it is beautiful. You think all
of your children’s little songs are beautiful, don’t you? Well, God is a loving
Father who loves the praises of his children. So jump in with a loud voice.
Praise the Lord!
Prayer: Father, help me to have a heart for worship and
praise of you. Help those in our churches to have hearts of praise and worship
for you. Help us to think how pleasant it is to lift our voices in song.
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