Friday, February 19, 2010

The Power of Song

Posted by Tracy Wainwright at 4:59 PM
It’s amazing the themes that we don’t recognize in the Bible! But thankfully God brings to our attention exactly what we need just when we need it. I’ve always been a fan of music and singing, although I’m not especially talented in either area. I enjoy several different kinds of music and, in the past, would pick what I wanted to listen to based on how I felt. When I became a stay-at-home mom and child care provider God taught me to use music to help me choose my mood, rather than my mood choosing my music. He began to show me through His Word the power of song.
There are over 200 references to the word “sing” in the Bible, beginning with Moses. Exodus 15:1 says, “Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD: "I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; he has thrown both horse and rider into the sea.” (TLB) Wow! The first recorded praise song! The Psalms, songs themselves, speak over and over again about singing God’s praises. “I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” (Psalm 9:2, NIV) “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.” (Psalm 40:3, NIV) Praise the LORD. [Hallelu Yah] Praise the LORD, O my soul. I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. (Psalm 146:1-2, NIV) And so many more!
I’m grateful for the Psalms, as well as the additional wealth of examples of singing praise to God throughout the Bible, not only because they’re great examples of how to praise and worship God, but they show us how to focus on God regardless of circumstances. They teach us to bear ourselves completely and honestly to God, and to recognize that He is in control. Oh, how I wish I had the tunes to the Psalms to help me remember them! Memorizing scripture is something that does not come naturally for me. I wish I could just dump the whole Bible in my head and recall any given verse at any time. But that’s obviously not how God made my brain to work (although He is faithful to place His Words in my heart when I need them.)
Reading, meditating on, and memorizing scripture is an essential part of our continual walk with Jesus. It’s necessary to continually be in God’s Word to grow in a relationship with Him and receive all of the promises He has laid out for us. There are many ways to keep the “cross before me”. One of them I find the most natural for me is through song. And how glad I was when I realized how frequently songs are used throughout scripture to praise God!
There are so many wonderful songs which are based on and use scripture that I can’t even begin to list them. No matter whether you are a fan of traditional hymns, contemporary praise songs, gospel, or all types, there are several ways to incorporate music that worships God into your day. In many places you can find God-focused radio stations that play either traditional hymns or praise and worship songs. Christian tapes, CD’s, and even videos can be found easily these days. It helps keep my mind focused on God when I play Godly music as I go through my day, whether it’s at home or in the car. A friend gave me an old hymnal that her church was no longer using , which is a wonderful resource. For those times I’m not able to play music or sing it out loud, I can sing it in my head. That’s the beauty of our minds, no matter where we are, we control what we think about.
Music is God-given and is a powerful tool to help us focus on God and practice thinking on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good, and virtuous, (Philippians 4:8). Even for those of us who are not musically inclined, we can rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4) by making a joyful noise (Psalm 66:1; 81:1; 95:1, 2; 98:4,6; 100:1).

0 comments on "The Power of Song"

Friday, February 19, 2010

The Power of Song

It’s amazing the themes that we don’t recognize in the Bible! But thankfully God brings to our attention exactly what we need just when we need it. I’ve always been a fan of music and singing, although I’m not especially talented in either area. I enjoy several different kinds of music and, in the past, would pick what I wanted to listen to based on how I felt. When I became a stay-at-home mom and child care provider God taught me to use music to help me choose my mood, rather than my mood choosing my music. He began to show me through His Word the power of song.
There are over 200 references to the word “sing” in the Bible, beginning with Moses. Exodus 15:1 says, “Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD: "I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; he has thrown both horse and rider into the sea.” (TLB) Wow! The first recorded praise song! The Psalms, songs themselves, speak over and over again about singing God’s praises. “I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” (Psalm 9:2, NIV) “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.” (Psalm 40:3, NIV) Praise the LORD. [Hallelu Yah] Praise the LORD, O my soul. I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. (Psalm 146:1-2, NIV) And so many more!
I’m grateful for the Psalms, as well as the additional wealth of examples of singing praise to God throughout the Bible, not only because they’re great examples of how to praise and worship God, but they show us how to focus on God regardless of circumstances. They teach us to bear ourselves completely and honestly to God, and to recognize that He is in control. Oh, how I wish I had the tunes to the Psalms to help me remember them! Memorizing scripture is something that does not come naturally for me. I wish I could just dump the whole Bible in my head and recall any given verse at any time. But that’s obviously not how God made my brain to work (although He is faithful to place His Words in my heart when I need them.)
Reading, meditating on, and memorizing scripture is an essential part of our continual walk with Jesus. It’s necessary to continually be in God’s Word to grow in a relationship with Him and receive all of the promises He has laid out for us. There are many ways to keep the “cross before me”. One of them I find the most natural for me is through song. And how glad I was when I realized how frequently songs are used throughout scripture to praise God!
There are so many wonderful songs which are based on and use scripture that I can’t even begin to list them. No matter whether you are a fan of traditional hymns, contemporary praise songs, gospel, or all types, there are several ways to incorporate music that worships God into your day. In many places you can find God-focused radio stations that play either traditional hymns or praise and worship songs. Christian tapes, CD’s, and even videos can be found easily these days. It helps keep my mind focused on God when I play Godly music as I go through my day, whether it’s at home or in the car. A friend gave me an old hymnal that her church was no longer using , which is a wonderful resource. For those times I’m not able to play music or sing it out loud, I can sing it in my head. That’s the beauty of our minds, no matter where we are, we control what we think about.
Music is God-given and is a powerful tool to help us focus on God and practice thinking on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good, and virtuous, (Philippians 4:8). Even for those of us who are not musically inclined, we can rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4) by making a joyful noise (Psalm 66:1; 81:1; 95:1, 2; 98:4,6; 100:1).

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