Tidings for Tuesday
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Ephesians 5:19
Did you ever listen to the common grackles, or starlings, that inhabit the Maritimes in excessive numbers? As they swoop down on an unsuspecting lawn, these birds keep up a constant chatter that often resembles a rusty gate hinge. In its description of these birds, my bird book describes them as enthusiastic but poor singers. That seems to me to describe what some Christians are like, or what we should be like.
There are many of us who don’t possess much singing talent. When we take part in the singing during the Assembly meetings, we appreciate our feeble and unmelodious attempts being drowned out by those who do have real talent. Those who can, and do, sing well have my admiration and appreciation. If that is you, please continue, and know, based on our text, that the Lord appreciates it too. But our text doesn’t seem to leave any loopholes for those of us who don’t sing well. We have a responsibility to be involved in the singing, and not just during Assembly meetings. Singing should be a significant part of what we do as Christians.
There are times during the Breaking of Bread when too many hymns are sung. Because so much time is spent in singing, little time is available for individual exercise of brethren to lead us in worship. Christians in some of the denominations will look at that last sentence and say I have it backwards. For them, the singing is what they regard as worship. Of course, we do worship when we sing. But the most significant portion of our worship is not necessarily the singing. It has its place, and we appreciate its place. But our text is not dealing primarily with singing in the Assembly meetings, but singing with our own hearts and voices as individuals and families. How much singing do you do every day?
During the same week in which I was saved, I learned a lovely chorus called ‘Thank You Lord’. In the more than 50 years since then, few days have gone by without my singing that chorus at least once. Almost always I sing it when I am alone, and sometimes, I don’t even sing it out loud. But the song is in my heart and its message is very dear to me. You probably have a song like that, or a chorus or even a poem, words and music that always express something precious about your Lord. How sad a Christian would be who had no song, no desire to lift up the heart and voice in appreciation and love to our Lord! How wonderful to have this great form of expression of our joy in the Lord! Only the Christian has a right to sing in this world, and only the Christian will be singing in the world to come.
Lift up your voice; the most pathetic chorus from a sincere saint is music to our Father’s ears. -Jim MacIntosh