YOUR SEASON OF PRAISE IS NOW - PART 2

God’s faithfulness and unfailing love cause us to be grateful with singing. The greatness of His mercies is an unalterable fact and His faithfulness to His Word is beyond question. A Scripture says, 'Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting' (Psalm 147:1). So it is the right practice for God's own people.

Reference: Psalm 89:1 New Living Translation (NLT)

'I will sing of the LORD’s unfailing love forever! Young and old will hear of your faithfulness.'

Singing as worship to God has a rich history in the Old and New Testaments. Though Ethan, one of the appointed singers from the family of the Levites wrote the above verse, king David is our main focus because he loved to sing. Music and singing moved King David in every direction that pleased God. Why did the Psalmist sing a lot? He loved to sing because He always had something to sing about. He experienced so much of God's love in His life that moved him to write many songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. David held a peculiar and exalted position in God's plan under the Old Testament. He occupied the office of theocratic king to fulfil God's purposes concerning Israel. He was specially appointed for it, thus He was greatly blessed in it. With that consciousness, He often sang of the Lord's unfailing love and faithfulness.

To praise God means nothing else than to remind Him of the glorious perfections which He possesses. It is to express and justify His perfect ways and exalt Him for who He is. Do you know that God Himself sings? What does He sing about? You and me! He rejoices over His children with singing! (Zephaniah 3:17 NIV). That's to show you the passion God Himself has for singing. And God wants us to have such a relationship with Him that we rejoice in singing about Him. Ephesians 5:18-19 reveals to us that one effect of being "filled with the Spirit" is 'addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart'. Although we have great songs of praise and worship in our generation today, any time you hear a song, pay attention to the words carefully.

Always ask yourself this question: Is this song pleasing to God or not? This is because the world is full of songs that celebrate and exalt the flesh which dishonour God. Those songs abase righteousness and celebrate the works of darkness. If you fill your mind with the worldly messages in such songs, you'll be carried away by the flesh. As for Christian songs, the wordings of a music speak better than the music itself. Most times, you will notice that you can’t express quality worship that moves you to experience God's glory unless you understand the lyrics perfectly. Singing with the right lyrics (based on the Word) can help us experience God's manifest presence and engage emotionally with His truth. So the impact of words in music cannot be neglected or disregarded because it doesn't just matter that we sing; it matters what we sing. Therefore always endeavour to sing with effective melodies filled with God's truth and character. Praise God!

Scripture Reading - 1 Chronicles 16:28; Psalm 9:11; Jeremiah 20:13; Ephesians 1:16.

Guided Prayer:

Heavenly Father, it is good to sing of your goodness and to praise your Holy Name. I praise you because you are the same yesterday, today and forever. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne while steadfast love and faithfulness go before you. You are my solid rock, my shield, my salvation and my strength. Your understanding is unsearchable, your way is perfect and the whole earth is full of your glory. I will sing praises to your Holy Name forever, in Jesus' Name, Amen!

Pastor EJC

SENSE OF GRACE