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)
