Day 11

An Anointed Song (Psalm 96:1-2)

Our church staffers will tell ya I’m always singing. Always. What’s really funny is that I can NOT sing. I’ve got a voice that should always be sung in the key of “B Quiet!” But I love to sing. I just love it. My mother, God rest her soul, always had a song on her heart. Always. I guess that’s where it comes from.

Truth is—so do you. We almost always have a song on our hearts. Music is the universal language that transcends time and space and connects us with our heart and the hearts of others. Music is a powerful thing. 

It’s no wonder the Bible speaks about music so much. In the 96th number of Psalms we’re commanded to “…sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth!” God Himself says singing is a requirement for the believer! 

We always have a song on our hearts. But the question I want to pose today is this—what kind of song are you singing? No don’t expect a treatise against secular music coming. I don’t think God is all that concerned about your MoTown playlist on Pandora. To be sure there’s music out there we’d all do well to avoid. But note how the Psalmist says in the 2nd verse here, “Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.” He seems to imply here that the song on our hearts ought to have something to do with the good news of Jesus. 

Prayer and fasting invites the Lord Christ and His presence to rest on us. Reign over us. Restore us. Nourish us. And often one of the best ways to invoke God’s presence is to sing His praises—even if your singing is no better than my own! 

Behavioral Psychologists tell us that if you’d force yourself to physically smile and hold it for at least 30 seconds, you’d literally feel better. Even if you are sad (they’ve tested this) they say that just holding that smile and jolting those muscles in your face sends a message to your brain which tells your whole body, “Hey, I think we’re supposed to be happy right now and we must’ve missed the cue. Okay endorphins and adrenals, get to work!” The point is this—if we plow the soil and plant the seeds, the rain will come and then comes the fruit. 

I dare you to find a song that has moved your heart for Jesus over the years. And just sing it. And keep singing it. Sing to your Lord my dear friend. Smile. He’s good. He’s worthy. He loves you and wants to connect. So give Him what He deserves from you today—an anointed song.

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