“His Song, Our Song”

  "His Song, Our Song"   

   

     

    Mr. Harry sings "How Great Thou Art".  Miss Loretta loves "Jesus Loves Me" (and sings it to me as we say goodbye after every service).  And Miss Lillie frequently blesses us with a rendition of "Day By Day" - in Danish no less.

    These dear folks reside at a local retirement community where we conduct services several times a week.  They attend our meetings regularly, and love the great old hymns of the faith.  We do too, and the thought frequently occurs to me that many of these songs have been sung millions and millions of times by believers all over the world.  Some go back centuries, and in my mind and heart, I sometimes seem to hear ancient echoes of musical praise and thanksgiving even as we presently add our own contribution to the strains, melodies, and harmonies of grace.

   "Be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:18-20).

   Clearly, a musical Holy Spirit fills us and then leads us to psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs of the heart.  This speaks to the sublime beauty of our God, who could never be content with a creation of precise technical precision, but which lacked loveliness.  The Great Engineer is also a great Artist.  He made us with the heart to experience and appreciate beauty, and then grants to us the privilege of affirming His glory with expressions of praise and gratitude as accompanied by the sweetness of song.  How it blesses us, as when Mr. Harry, Miss Loretta, and Miss Lillie lend their voices to the praises of God.  But far more, how it must bless our Heavenly Father as by His Spirit, the children of God sing forth the glories of the Lord Jesus Christ.

   Of course, for various reasons some people don't like to sing aloud, or can't.  No worries.  The Apostle Paul calls us to "sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord" (emphasis added).  The music of the Spirit first and foremost graces our own spirits.  He first gives us songs of the heart, that is, He fills us with the beauty of His Person in the inner hall of grace as received by faith.  Every believer can sing there, and will as the Holy Spirit fills us, thrills us, and fulfills us with the wonder of the Lord Jesus.  The Great Artist blesses us no less as deeply within we hear His song, and as we respond with our own.

"The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing."

(Zephaniah 3:17)

"Sing… with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

(Colossians 3:16)

Weekly Memory Verse

   But why dost thou judge thy brother?  Or why dost thou set at nought thy brother?  For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.  For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

(Romans 14:10-11)