Discover His heart: He is great and worthy of all praise!
@ Psalm 96
“Sing a new song to the Lord!”(1) One dimension of this verse has come to life today in our church services and worship music. Creative young souls are writing songs filled with a heart of love for the Lord, and I enjoy their expressions, their rhythm and their passion. Their anointed songs are new and represent their understanding of who God is as well as their experience with Him. But then, I also enjoy the old songs of the church, the hymns and gospel songs of long ago when creative young souls wrote songs filled with a heart of love for the Lord. The new songs and the old are all beautiful testimonies of God’s presence in our lives.
However, I believe the writer of this Psalm does not really intend new to mean a song that is different or newly written, but more so one that is a fresh and up-to-the-minute response to God’s goodness and greatness in our lives. It may be a newly written song or an old one, but regardless, it is a song that is fresh from our hearts to Him. Sometimes when He displays His power and majesty in my life, it causes me to burst out with a spontaneous new song that no one has ever sung before, fresh from my heart. It’s for His ears only, and that’s probably a good thing.
When a new song is vibrant in our hearts and minds, the Psalm goes on to tell us what to do with it, “Each day proclaim the good news that He saves. Publish His glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things He does. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!”(2-3)
Each day:
1) proclaim – publicly state or make known
2) publish – print, distribute, circulate, announce
3) tell – inform, advise, enlighten.
Share about His salvation and the amazing things He does with everyone, everywhere. How are we going to do that along with all our other responsibilities? If the song is there, the fresh song, we will find a way!
For 40 plus years, my friends Jim and Della found a way to share their song with at least one person every day, everywhere they went. Jim was quite the rascal before he found the Lord, and he never forgot the freedom that came to his bound-up soul the day he accepted Jesus as his Savior. His eyes always filled with tears when he shared his 40 year-old-song because it was fresh in his heart, and he wanted everyone to experience it. Jim and Della led hundreds of people to the Lord by sharing their song each day, one soul at a time, everywhere they went. If the song is fresh, we will find a way to share it.
“Publish His glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things He does.” (3) If God has allowed us the privilege, and I do mean privilege, of going on a mission’s trip or outreach, we understand the great need, the great opportunity and the great sacrifice of sharing our song to the nations. For most, the going and telling the nations each day is impossible, but God has appointed those to serve as our representatives, our hands and feet if you will, to go to the nations – our missionaries.
Because their song is fresh and up-to-the-minute, our representatives leave family, friends and comforts to go share the good news of His salvation and good deeds with everyone, every day. Their tools include Bibles, books and lessons that our monies publish or announce through incredible mission’s groups like Wycliffe, Life Publishers (Book of Hope) and Light for the Lost. Our missionaries represent new songs proclaimed, published and told to the nations every day!
If our song is new, fresh and up-to-the-minute, we can’t help but share the good news of God’s salvation and greatness with those we meet each day. And if our song is new, fresh and up-to-the-minute, we can’t help but support our representatives who take our song to the nations. It’s time to sing a new song!
Moving Forward: The song is new and fresh today – I can’t help but sing!
Tomorrow @ Proverbs 17-18
Phyllis Benigas 