As we step into the holiday season, one of my favorite parts of Christmas is the songs. They bring back fond childhood memories of family, friends, and church gatherings which were all filled with food, laughter, and a lot of singing. Music, especially singing, is a great way to express joy. James 5:13 states, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.” The good news is you don’t have to sound good to sing praises to God. King David proclaims in Psalm 98:4, “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises”! One Christmas song – Carol of the Bells – reminds me how much joy music brings us. As we are listening to the song, it feels like we do not have a care in the world. Here are a few of the lyrics:
Hark how the bells,
Sweet silver bells,
All seem to say,
Throw cares away
Christmas is here,
Bringing good cheer,
To young and old,
Meek and the bold.
Ding dong ding dong
That is their song
With joyful ring
All caroling.
One seems to hear
Words of good cheer
From everywhere
Filling the air.
Did you know that God enjoys singing and music? After all he is the creator and originator of it. Zephaniah 3:17 states, “The LORD your God is in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” I often ponder on how much our Heavenly Father loves and delights in his children. He takes pleasure in his people. The Lord is full of compassion and tender mercy. His love draws us close and ignites in us a passion to worship him.
In Psalm 150:1-6, King David – a passionate worshiper of God – believed in utilizing all the instruments to praise God including the cymbals. He exclaimed, “Praise ye he Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high-sounding cymbals. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.”
PRAY THIS PRAYER: “Lord, you’re so kind and tenderhearted to those who don’t deserve it and so patient with people who fail you! Your love is like a flooding river overflowing its banks with kindness. It’s hard to comprehend this love. It makes me want to sing and give you the praise due unto your name. Thank you for your great love for me. I appreciate that you sing over me. Lord I will sing to you songs of worship and adoration. There is no one like you in all the earth. In Jesus’ name I pray – Amen.”
