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A New Song For The New Year!
Happy New Year church family! This is the season of new. New diets, new year goals, and aspirations. What if we also could include a season for putting a new song in our hearts? Why do we sing songs at church anyway? There are at least three main reasons why we should sing songs at church, and we will look at the Psalms to help us answer this question.
I love the Psalms. My favorite thing about them is the different seasons of the life the Psalmists went through, and expressed what was on their heart in those times. I often find myself in those places and the Psalms outline His promises that give hope and strength in a multitude of seasons. In Psalm 69, the Psalmist begins by asking God to save him in the midst of sin and the mire. Later on in this Psalm, their response is “I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving” (v 30). This is one reason why singing is important: we sing to God in the midst of sin, trouble, and trying times, despite what we may be feeling. Singing becomes an act of obedience to God. We sing about thanksgiving when we know we need to be more thankful; we sing about His greatness in the midst of our great sin. Singing is an act of God transforming us into his image.
Not only do we sing in obedience, we sing because God deserves it! God’s story throughout the entire Old Testament tells of his faithfulness in how he never gave up on his people, Israel. No matter how much they sinned and turned their back on God, he continually provided a way for Israel to be saved. The lineage and genealogies tell us how there was always that hope for the seed, which would provide a savior for the people. By singing songs that tell of God’s grace and faithfulness, we are actually spreading the gospel and telling His story. This is why it is so important to sing songs that tell the gospel story, because non-Christians will see this in us, and when we sing these songs with conviction, they see Christ in us.
Lastly, we sing songs as an act of unity. When we sing together, we are as one body, declaring the death and resurrection of Christ. We proclaim the things we believe as Christians, and this is a way to unite us! We join in with the Church from early days to the Church now, to tell the things God has done, and to tell the world about our great God. The Christians that founded the first churches sang songs of praise to God, and we are unified with them by doing the same thing. The songs they sang then were pleasing to God just as the songs we sing now please our Creator.
As you’re reflecting on 2014, I challenge you to remember and write down things God has done in this past year. Being able to remember what God has done in your life is giving you a new song to sing; it may not be new words, but God gives you new meaning to the words we sing. As you remember each thing, words like “Jesus, Jesus how I trust Him, how I’ve proved him over and over,” can take on completely new meaning. Psalm 77 says, “Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart. I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old” (vv 6, 11 ESV). As you think on the things he has done, what new songs has God given you to sing this year? How can you find new songs to sing on Sunday morning and also throughout each day? I pray that God will indeed put a new song in your heart, and that you may share your new song with those you interact with.
Grace and peace be with you all!
Rachel Woolard
