FROM: Banbury, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
ABOUT ME: Living the highs and lows of life in the adventurous pursuit of God Himself and of who I'm meant to be as the Bride of Christ.
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Thursday, February 25, 2010,9:07 p.m.
SING A NEW SONG
I finally bought some new CD's - I've been milking all the old ones for far too long, and finally got bored enough to notice that I've played nothing for months but the one new CD that I've bought in the last year or more.
I realize that as a musician I might have a closer connection to experiencing the emotional or the spiritual through the medium of music, but I'm not sure that this is entirely true, though it may be arguable. Instead I think that there's something about music that touches all of us as human beings, deeply. I suppose it would be an interesting conversation to have with a psychology whiz, but I'm less concerned with why it's a reality than the simple fact that it is a reality.
Scripture tells us in countless places to sing to the Lord a new song:
Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy. (Psalm 33:3)
Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. (Psalm 96:1)
O sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wonderful things, His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him. (Psalm 98:1)
Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise in the congregation of the godly ones. (Psalm 149:1)
Sing to the Lord a new song, sing His praises from the end of the earth! You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it. You islands, and those who dwell on them. (Isaiah 42:10)
And the list goes on.....
I was thinking as I listened with relish to new expressions of emotions and truths I've verbalized countless times - new words, new tunes - how important that command to sing a new song to the Lord really is. I don't think I can explain why new music evokes a fresh sense of truth, of comfort, of intimacy or of God's presence, yet it does. The worship pastor in me - and probably also the rational side of me - wants to be able to explain it, to find the theology of it or to see some logical truth in what is already a practical truth. The worshipper in me simply doesn't care but rather is awed by how a seemingly unexplainable scriptural command, when followed, can bear such incredible fruit. (Aside from thinking about the worship aspect of it, I imagine there are also some thoughts in there regarding following the Lord's commands in blind faith, regardless of our own understanding of them.)
It doesn't make sense to me. But it doesn't need to. Sing a new song to our Lord. Dance a new dance. Speak a new poem. Engage in a new act of service. Find a new way to express the never-weary truth of our salvation, our gratitude and our love for Him. Find a new way to declare His grace, His mercy, His sacrifice and His love for us.
Sing a new song.
Sometimes I read articles such as what is written above and become frustrated by not knowing where to find a new song (aside from trying to write one) or where to dive into fresh expressions of worship. In case this is what you are thinking at this moment, here are the names of a couple of the new CD's I just bought that I have listened to already. I realize that everyone's musical tastes are different, but perhaps there is something here that might allow you to also find a "new song" as I am finding while I listen....
CompassionArt (various artists)
We Shall Not Be Shaken (Matt Redman)
Church Music (David Crowder Band)
Here Is My Song (Kim Walker)
I realize that as a musician I might have a closer connection to experiencing the emotional or the spiritual through the medium of music, but I'm not sure that this is entirely true, though it may be arguable. Instead I think that there's something about music that touches all of us as human beings, deeply. I suppose it would be an interesting conversation to have with a psychology whiz, but I'm less concerned with why it's a reality than the simple fact that it is a reality.
Scripture tells us in countless places to sing to the Lord a new song:
Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy. (Psalm 33:3)
Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. (Psalm 96:1)
O sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wonderful things, His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him. (Psalm 98:1)
Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise in the congregation of the godly ones. (Psalm 149:1)
Sing to the Lord a new song, sing His praises from the end of the earth! You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it. You islands, and those who dwell on them. (Isaiah 42:10)
And the list goes on.....
I was thinking as I listened with relish to new expressions of emotions and truths I've verbalized countless times - new words, new tunes - how important that command to sing a new song to the Lord really is. I don't think I can explain why new music evokes a fresh sense of truth, of comfort, of intimacy or of God's presence, yet it does. The worship pastor in me - and probably also the rational side of me - wants to be able to explain it, to find the theology of it or to see some logical truth in what is already a practical truth. The worshipper in me simply doesn't care but rather is awed by how a seemingly unexplainable scriptural command, when followed, can bear such incredible fruit. (Aside from thinking about the worship aspect of it, I imagine there are also some thoughts in there regarding following the Lord's commands in blind faith, regardless of our own understanding of them.)
It doesn't make sense to me. But it doesn't need to. Sing a new song to our Lord. Dance a new dance. Speak a new poem. Engage in a new act of service. Find a new way to express the never-weary truth of our salvation, our gratitude and our love for Him. Find a new way to declare His grace, His mercy, His sacrifice and His love for us.
Sing a new song.
Sometimes I read articles such as what is written above and become frustrated by not knowing where to find a new song (aside from trying to write one) or where to dive into fresh expressions of worship. In case this is what you are thinking at this moment, here are the names of a couple of the new CD's I just bought that I have listened to already. I realize that everyone's musical tastes are different, but perhaps there is something here that might allow you to also find a "new song" as I am finding while I listen....
CompassionArt (various artists)
We Shall Not Be Shaken (Matt Redman)
Church Music (David Crowder Band)
Here Is My Song (Kim Walker)
Saturday, February 20, 2010,5:38 p.m.
AWESOME MARKETING
This is not deep, spiritual or something that sparked growth in my relationship with God. But it IS blog-worthy. Somebody's marketing company is earning their money and then some. Very, very funny.....
Monday, February 15, 2010,6:51 p.m.
DRAWING NEAR
I've been thinking about this concept in scripture that says, "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." That particular version of it is taken right from James 4:8a.
I like this idea. I'm often poor at the execution of it. Oh, not necessarily the execution of "draw near" but perhaps the execution of just draw near. As opposed to "put on my best smile and make sure I smell nice before I draw near" or "wait until I feel like being in the presence of God or like worshipping before I draw near." Oddly, it's not what the scripture says.
In fact, there are other places in the scripture where this "draw near" idea is stated. For example:
"Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith...." (Hebrews 10:22a)
Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart.... That struck me when I was reading that recently. A sincere heart. Yes, a sincere heart is a heart that is truly seeking Him and not just seeking His hand or testing Him. But also, I think, a sincere heart is a heart that is truthful about what it is feeling or experiencing at this moment in life. A heart that does not pause to "dress up" and ensure that we are presenting something that - at least in our own limited understanding - is acceptable.
That is a freeing thought to me. It is freeing to me as I worship. It is freeing as I consider that when my heart is broken or weary, I can simply draw near to God just as I am. The picture that comes to mind is one of walking into the throne room of God simply to walk over and sit down on the floor beside the throne and rest my head on His knee. Just being with Him, regardless of my own state. Sometimes it means being able to just sit in the pew when the worship music is going on and knowing that though I'm wrestling things that make it too difficult to dance or sing or even stand as I am used to doing when I worship through music, I can just sit in my seat and still draw near. Draw near with no words. Draw near with no musical offering, with no words or without even any mental offering. But just to draw near. Sincerely. Honestly.
I am learning that to draw near even when you are offering nothing is still to draw near. And He will respond by drawing near as well. If I wait until I am ready to draw near there are days when I never will. If I understand that to draw near is not conditional but is a 'being' rather than just a 'bringing', I will draw near more often and probably when it's even more important to be near.
And the days when it's more important that I'm near God are the times when it's even more important that I know that He's near me. Thankfully, He is always true to His word. He will draw near to me, too.
I like this idea. I'm often poor at the execution of it. Oh, not necessarily the execution of "draw near" but perhaps the execution of just draw near. As opposed to "put on my best smile and make sure I smell nice before I draw near" or "wait until I feel like being in the presence of God or like worshipping before I draw near." Oddly, it's not what the scripture says.
In fact, there are other places in the scripture where this "draw near" idea is stated. For example:
"Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith...." (Hebrews 10:22a)
Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart.... That struck me when I was reading that recently. A sincere heart. Yes, a sincere heart is a heart that is truly seeking Him and not just seeking His hand or testing Him. But also, I think, a sincere heart is a heart that is truthful about what it is feeling or experiencing at this moment in life. A heart that does not pause to "dress up" and ensure that we are presenting something that - at least in our own limited understanding - is acceptable.
That is a freeing thought to me. It is freeing to me as I worship. It is freeing as I consider that when my heart is broken or weary, I can simply draw near to God just as I am. The picture that comes to mind is one of walking into the throne room of God simply to walk over and sit down on the floor beside the throne and rest my head on His knee. Just being with Him, regardless of my own state. Sometimes it means being able to just sit in the pew when the worship music is going on and knowing that though I'm wrestling things that make it too difficult to dance or sing or even stand as I am used to doing when I worship through music, I can just sit in my seat and still draw near. Draw near with no words. Draw near with no musical offering, with no words or without even any mental offering. But just to draw near. Sincerely. Honestly.
I am learning that to draw near even when you are offering nothing is still to draw near. And He will respond by drawing near as well. If I wait until I am ready to draw near there are days when I never will. If I understand that to draw near is not conditional but is a 'being' rather than just a 'bringing', I will draw near more often and probably when it's even more important to be near.
And the days when it's more important that I'm near God are the times when it's even more important that I know that He's near me. Thankfully, He is always true to His word. He will draw near to me, too.