Article Blog

I read somewhere recently that ‘singing is serious business’. In fact, it seems to me, it’s more than that, it’s big business. And it’s risky. You’re only as good as your last hit in the top ten.

I really love to sing! If the truth be told, I’m as flat as a Yorkshire pudding gone wrong. Do you remember the confession of a former Chancellor of the Exchequer? The budget finally came together when he was singing in the bath. Tommy Steele, a firm favourite among the punters, was famous for his rendition of Singin’ in the Rain. The Welsh valleys are renowned for the rich quality of singing that their voices can produce, sure, it’s great to listen to. Well, whatever way you want to look at it, singing is as popular as ever.

I sometimes reflect on David, the shepherd king of Israel. He was writing about some of his experiences in Psalm 40:3 and this is what he said: ‘He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.’

For David, this was a moment he would never forget. The Lord revamped his life in such a way that the only thing David can do is celebrate the goodness of God. He discovered, in his hour of personal crisis, that God was only a prayer away.

His revelation about God is quite an eye opener for it reveals one who is willing to intervene in the lives of his children. When David cried, the Lord actually turned to see what was happening, and then he acted. David was in grave danger at this point. He had that awful sinking feeling as he found himself in a proverbial slimy pit, enmeshed in the mud and mire of all that life could throw at him. He seemed to be losing his grip and appeared to be on the verge of calling it quits. It was so bad, it couldn’t have been much worse. David was finding what the popular humorist Erma Bombeck meant when she wrote: ‘If life is a bowl of cherries, what am I doing in the pits?’

He prayed! And God responded by lifting him out of the mess he found himself in. He gave him a stable foundation, back on solid ground. He knew that in future if he fell, he would at least fall on the rock—it may be hard, and it may hurt, but he had one consolation, because the grip of God was on his life, he would never fall off the rock.

The song he sings is a brand new song, nothing like it has been rehearsed before. It’s fresh, real, relevant, and contemporary. Nothing stale, or dated, or past its sell by date.
It’s a hymn of praise to our God. He wants to magnify the greatness of God, and focus attention on the ability of God to handle any and every situation. He wants to put the main beam on the wonder of the love and grace of God for he knows that without him, life would not be worth living. He wants God to be centre stage and to receive the acclaim and applause of at least one grateful heart.

Why sing? Because all nature sings! If we are silent, then we are the exception to God’s creation. The thunder praises him as it rolls like many drums. The rain sings softly as it falls in the summertime. The ocean seems to sing as it claps against the shore. The mountains and the woods have their distinctive song. How shall we, for whom the stars and sun were created, not sing? We can’t help but sing!