Singing The Lord's Song

What sort of singer are you? Could you thrill an audience with the beauty of your voice or are you like so many of us, better off singing your solos within the confines of the walls of your shower? It does not matter how melodic or mediocre our voice may be, we are all called to sing unto the Lord.

Paul told the members of the churches at Ephesus and Colosse that God’s children are to sing hymns, psalms and spiritual songs; singing and making melody in their hearts unto the Lord. Yes, we are all singers and if we are saved we have a special song of salvation to sing. It is a different and beautiful song that the world does not know or understand.

God is both the composer and the lyricist. He gives it to us. Places it right in our heart when we are born again of His Spirit. Our new found joy soon moves us to give expression to it. It is the song of the redeemed. The song of Zion. If we love the Lord we must sing it. The redeemed of the Lord must say so.

What we should sing and why we should sing it is already determined in the Word of God. But when, where and how we sing is another matter. We are responsible for the time, place and manner the song of salvation is sun.

In some places and at some times it is difficult to sing the Lord’s song in the way He wishes it to be sung. David indicates he found it rather difficult to sing the Lord’s song after the Bethsheba affair. It seems he found the Lord’s song stuck in his throat and was sealed within him by his great transgression and offence against God and man. It would seem the sweet harp player of Israel laid his harp aside for a time because no true song of joy and salvation could spontaneously and spiritually spring forth from a sinful and adulterous heart. Only true repentance and forgiveness could enable Him to truly sing the Lord’s song again.

Remember Israel’s lament while in Babylonian captivity? They were also reaping the wages of sin against the Holy One of Israel. They cried out, "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the Lord’s son in a strange land?"

Sometimes the world also demands of us, in scorn and derision, that we sing the Lord’s song. It is difficult, no impossible, to do so if we have compromised with that same world. Our lips our sealed by sin from singing our song of salvation and giving expression to true praise unto our God. There is always lacking that note of truth and sincerity that is absolutely necessary for singing spiritual songs and making true spiritual melody in our hearts.

A person who has turned away from God and fallen into a David-like pattern of sin and rebellion, cannot really seek to sing God’s song and worship and glorify Him in His house among His people. Such perverted praise and worship would be blasphemous. No true song of salvation can issue from such a sinful heart or burst forth from such deceitful lips. 

That heart must be purged and cleansed through true repentance and confession of sin. This means a turning away from the practice and pattern of a sinful life and a spiritual about face. A genuine spiritual renewal must first take place before the songs of Zion can be truly sung again.

Gathering Together In His Presence

Do we really believe His promise that He will be in the midst of us when we come into His presence with thanksgiving; worshipping Him in Spirit and in truth. (Matthew 18:20)  Do we expect the Living Saviour to be powerfully present in all that we say and do? When we consider the lackadaisical approach all to often taken to worship in our contemporary world, we are made to wonder if those who come together really see themselves as being in the presence of the awesome and mighty God of this universe. 

Some who say they are Bible believers, tend to make a fetish out of informality. They seem to sincerely equate spirituality with a crass, conditioned and creative emotionality. It would seem, that in their understanding, being spirit filled (led or controlled) precludes orderly worship or behavior. They seem to advocate and often practice an uninhibited exhibitionism.

It would seem that some sometimes sincerely seek to stand and pridefully entertain God; rather than approach Him with humility and reverence. Or worse still, turn a holy worship service into a cheap entertainment concert. All of this could remind us of the foolish, frenzied and failed attempts of the prophets of Baal to awaken their god(s) in order to bring a powerful presence to bear upon the altar of sacrifice. An examination of the idolatrous and paganized worship activities in history, as well as in our contemporary world, confirms such a sensuous and sensational approach has always been the way of the heathen. In contrast, we see the hoary-haired old prophet, Elijah, speaking a few quiet simple words. Then the overwhelming presence of the almighty God is manifest to Israel.

We do not have to speculate on God’s plan of conduct in the Body of Christ. In Paul’s critique of the uninhibited excesses of the church at Corinth, he makes the matter crystal clear. “For God is not [the author] of confusion..” (I Cor. 14:33) “Let all things be done decently and in order.” (I Cor. 14:40) The context of these simple admonitions, when applied to gathering together with Christ, could lead us to but one conclusion. God desires a simple scriptural approach to praise and worship.

None of this should inhibit or prohibit the desire of God’s people to gather together in joyful expectation and anticipation of experiencing the presence of the Living Christ. We are to come together truly expecting to meet with God and His Son, Jesus Christ, through the ministry and power of the Holy Spirit of God. We should not come together merely expecting to see each other, but should have the attitude of the Greeks who came and said to Phillip, “Sir, we would see Jesus.”

It is a great privilege to have an audience with royalty. But how could this compare with the promised personal presence of Jesus Christ with His people as they gather together to celebrate His resurrection and worship and praise Him? We do not come together to merely experience the presence of an earthly prince or monarch, but with the very King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

It should go without saying, that we should behave and even dress appropriately for such a rendezvous with real royalty. Who would wish to go into the presence of a king or even an important official without being appropriately attired? Even those seeking meaningful employment, recognize that to do so would be insulting and could jeopardize their prospects. What is more important and who is more deserving of our utmost reverence and respect?   - Pastor John White

Why Adversity?

Why do God’s people have adversity? As David asked, "Why do the wicked seem to prosper at the expense of God’s people?" Why do terrible tragedies occur in the midst of times of great success and prosperity? Why do a multiplicity of calamities, as in the case of Job, seem to come one upon the heels of another?  

Adversity can be the deadliest source of discouragement or the greatest impetus for spiritual growth in the life of a believer. The difference depends upon and is determined by our understanding and response to the pressure involved. But just why might God allow adversity into the life of a child of God whom He loves?

Adversity may be God’s way of getting  our attention. If we focus our life on the world and its standards and priorities, we may invite and accentuate adversity. When we become absorbed in our own personal plans, projects, programs, ambitions, goals and friendships, God may patiently try to get our attention. When we leave God out of our life and our priorities and decisions, inevitably problems and pressures arise too large and complicated for us to solve. When we become too busy with our own selfish will, God may intervene to show us His way of real peace and joy and His schedule and priorities for our lives. 

Such adversity is good for us.  Adversity may be God’s way of reassuring us of His love. Real love must be tough. Tough love means to care enough to rebuke and correct. Physical and emotional pain serve a real purpose. God shows His love by sometimes painfully reinforcing the dangers in our life. When we finally recognize God’s loving hand of correction and turn to Him, our experience will have been beneficial and spiritually maturing.  Adversity may be God calling us to self-examination. One purpose of chastening is to achieve self-examination. This process begins with self-examination, conviction and confession of sin. But if in adversity we become embittered and engrossed in examining and blaming others, God cannot use this process to bless us. Self-examination should lead to repentance and restoration.

Adversity may be God’s way of conquering our pride. God’s grace is free, but there is one thing essential to receive it - humility. God may occasionally prick our balloon of pride through adversity in order to humble us under His mighty hand that He might lift us up to a place of fruitful service that
pleases Him..

Adversity may be God’s way of reminding us of our human weaknesses and frailties. God sometimes tests us and prepares us for challenges in the future.  When stretched, a rubber band breaks at its weakest point. A chain is no stronger than its weakest link. Only by placing pressure upon materials, can we detect certain flaws. When God works powerfully through our obvious weaknesses, both we and others are freed to give Him all the praise and glory!

Adversity may be God’s way of motivating us to cry out for His help. The intensity of a child’s cry will determine the urgency of a parent’s response. When God’s children cry out in true repentance and faith, God will always lovingly respond.  Ultimately it is not the nature or severity of adversity that really matters.  It is our response to it. Someone has well said that Christians are like steam engines, at their best when under pressure!