Mensa Otabil - A Song of Praise
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Welcome to a brand new week as we continue our study of God’s Word, and I trust that you have been enriched every morning. This week, we’re going to look at singing, as singing is a very important part of our worship and our praise to the Lord. We will explore various aspects related to singing, starting with singing a new song. Isaiah 42, verse 10: «Sing to the Lord a new song and his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea and all that is in it, you coastlands and you inhabitants of them.»
Songs have played a very important role in our human experience. Naturally, we sing at various times, and spiritually, we sing too. When it comes to church, singing is part of our praise, part of our prayer, and part of our worship. We sing when we’re very happy and excited; we sing when we are sad. We sing to remind ourselves of something, to recall God’s goodness and his faithfulness, to encourage ourselves in the Lord. Singing plays a vital role in our lives, helping us to make the right statements about God.
Our passage for today encourages us to sing a new song to the Lord. This phrase is found a few times in the Psalms, and it helps us to position our expectation of God for us. So why does God want us to sing a new song? Why shouldn’t we continue singing the same old song? There are three things I want to bring to your attention. First, a new song replaces an old song. When God says to sing a new song, he’s telling you to move away from something that is old. This term is usually used to describe when God has changed the times for people.
People can be in a state of sorrow; they are going through pain, anxiety, and feelings of defeat. Especially Israel, when they were in captivity, sang songs of sorrow and sadness because they missed Jerusalem. Now, God says, «Sing a new song.» In other words, put away the old and bring in the new. The song of captivity is over; it is now a song of joy and a song of freedom. I believe God is also speaking to us today, that we can’t continue singing the old songs of fear and captivity; we must sing songs of victory.
Secondly, singing a new song announces a new day. When God starts something new in our lives, one of the ways we announce it is with a song. Have you noticed how, when you hear good news, you start singing? A tune wells up within you when something good happens to you. All of a sudden, a song wells up within you, because anytime we sing a new song, we are announcing that something new has broken forth in our lives. Observe the birds of the sky in the morning; they announce the breaking of a new day, the dawn, with songs. I don’t know whether they’re doing it to praise God, but they do it anyhow. And that’s how we should conduct our worship with God. Every day, every morning is an experience we must celebrate, and we do that by raising a new song to the Lord. Whenever God does something new for you, you will sense a new song coming out of you. Don’t sing an old song when new things are happening to you.
Thirdly, a new song releases new things out of us. When we sing a new song, it means that we are composing, creating, and being innovative. So when God says to sing a new song, he’s also telling us to bring something new out of you. Bring something fresh; bring something that you’ve not done before. This morning, the Lord is telling each one of us, «Sing a new song to the Lord.» Put away the old, put away the sorrow, put away the burden of shame and confusion, and let the voice of faith begin to come out of you as you sing a new song unto the Lord, celebrating him for his goodness to you.
Let’s share a word of prayer together. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, you are the God of new beginnings. Thank you for filling my heart and mouth with a new song of praise today, in Jesus' name. Amen.»