Sing for Joy

Psalm 92:1-4

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

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Don't you feel it growin',
Day by day
People
Gettin' ready for the news
Some are happy,
Some are sad
Wo, we got to let the music play
Wo, oh yeah
What the people need
Is a way to make 'em smile
It ain't so hard to do if you know how
Gotta get a message
Get it on through
Oh now mama's goin' to after awhile

Wo, oh, oh, listen to the music
Wo, oh, oh, listen to the music
Wo, oh, oh, listen to the music
All the time

"Listen to the Music" by Tom Johnston recorded by The Doobie Brothers

Song does things that few others can do. Have you ever tried to speak loudly in a room that echoes? The distortion will get you. On the other hand, singing allows the words to ring clearly and truly. I'm not about to rattle on about harmonics and the like, I'm just not qualified. But I do know this, singing works when nothing else will.

I joyfully believe that the first lullabys were sung by the first of our ancestors. I believe songs of mourning rang in times of pain and distress. Songs of joy, I imagine these were saved for the most special of occasions.

Again I say that song involves the entire self in prayer. These songs of joy should not be saved for only special occasions. The psalmist reminds us "It is good to give thanks to the LORD,to sing praises to your name, O Most High." The Doobie's remind us "Gotta get a message, get it on through"

We are to declare God's faithfulness, and God is faithful. Especially at times when all around us dissolves like a sand castle at high tide, God is faithful. When the people are happy it is easy to forget that we need God, so we need to sing songs of thanksgiving to the Lord. When the people are sad, well, then it's easy to sing songs of lament and longing to the Lord.

So rejoice, "For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy." What the people need is a way to make 'em smile. So share and love. Share when it is joyous, share when it is horrendous. Share, because God shared life with us first.

This is our message, this is what we are called to share, and "it ain't so hard to do if you know how." So let us declare the Lord's steadfast love in the morning, and God's faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre. And let us listen to the music all the time.

I Believe in Your Song

Psalm 27:13-14

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD!

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Thanks for the joy that you've given me
I want you to know I believe in your song
And rhythm and rhyme and harmony
You help me along
Makin' me strong

Oh, give me the beat boys and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock n roll
And drift away

"Drift Away" by Mentor Williams. This version by Dobie Gray reached #5 on the US Pop Charts. The version by Uncle Kracker reached #1 four times.

What a lovely saying, I believe in your song. Just to hear Dobie Gray sing it creates a warm feeling of love and acceptance. It's a feeling of joy and love and support that is beyond wonderful.

The Psalmist sings, I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord. The goodness of God will be seen. The singer doesn't deny the presence of sin, there's no mention of sin at all. There is confidence though, confidence that the goodness of the Lord will be seen in the land of the living. We are called to wait and be strong. We don't wait for the next big thing. We don't wait for some new fad or something, we wait on the Lord. We wait being strong and letting our heart take courage. This is the only way to wait for the Lord.

It's a wait that may give us impatience, but that's just an attitude. We could use an adjustment. We are to believe in God's song, in rhythm and rhyme and harmony. It's a pity that the melodies and rhymes of the ancient songs are lost, but the one who inspired the words is still at work.

There is a beat that frees the soul. Believe in the goodness and begin to see the goodness of the Lord. Then let's get lost in the song and drift away to a place of hope; a place without fear.