Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre; make music for him on the ten-stringed harp. Sing a new song of praise to him; play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy.
~ Psalm 33:2-3 (NLT)
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As I read these verses this morning, I could almost visualize David standing in the temple courts addressing the ensemble of musicians, pointing to the lyre players, "You, over there -- Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre!" and then pointing to the harpists, "And you -- make music for Him on the 10-stringed harp..." And then David seems to say, "Don't play stale melodies -- make a NEW SONG to the Lord!"
This came as a bit of an epiphany to me this morning. What if God was saying through David, Not the same old stale music you've been playing for eons, please. Can't you come up with something fresh? Is your worship and relationship with me so old, that you have no creativity and inspiration for something new?!? Music should be a reflection of where you are with me now! So, where are you with me now?
All I can say is that these thoughts this morning stomp on a lot of church history, and you don't have to agree with me even a little bit. Don't get me wrong -- I love the old hymns and choruses. But what is David saying when he says 'sing a new song to the Lord'? Oh, sure -- you can spiritualize it and say he's talking about our "heart music", but the reality is that he was speaking to the temple musicians and singers! These were instructions for the worship leaders -- make music for God, play skillfully, and sing a new song to the Lord!
Is it possible that we allow ourselves to stagnate in worship with the ancient tunes? Is it possible that we are squelching our spirits by refusing to sing a new song? I don't speak just to those over 60, or over 40. Every generation needs to sing a new song to the Lord, at each new season! We need to allow our spirits to soar to new worship heights, and not get stuck in the mud of the "same ol', same ol' ". And why I think this is important is because we are creatures of habit. We are rut-runners. And pretty soon, worship can become so routine that it is meaningless to our souls. Songs are memorized, so that no one needs the music, and out come the words and the tune, and we may not even be stirred in our spirits at all, thinking instead about what's for lunch, instead of the God we serve! You know it's true, my friends. You know it's true.
Sing a new song to the Lord today. Allow yourself to listen to some new worship -- freshen your spirit with music that might even catch you off guard, and liven up your adoration of our Lord! Old is good, but new is good too!
Love,
Joelene
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