"But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord for he has been good to me."
Psalm 13:5-6
Do you ever just feel like singing? Maybe it’s in the shower, maybe as you’re driving along, maybe just anywhere. You feel good and you feel like singing. Now, depending on your personality and ability, some of you may respond to that urge more regularly than others — but there is something about singing. Either we sing when we’re in a good mood, or it helps put us in a good mood.
That’s why, in the psalm I quoted above, David promises he will be singing. In the first part of the psalm, David describes his troubles, his guilt, his doubt, his fears. He talks about the fact that he feels helpless.
Then he turns to the Lord. He remembers the one who can and does help. He remembers the promises and the power — and even before he sees anything happen to change his situation — his mood changes. He goes from doubt to trust and from sorrow to singing:
"I will sing to the Lord for he has been good to me!"
That kind of thing didn’t just work for David. God has made us the same promises and has shown us the same power in the past. Yes, we have problems. The words of David to God in Psalm 13 could be ours:
"How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?"
So let’s do the same thing with those thoughts that David did. Let’s let God handle them and remind ourselves of what God has done for us, from making us to molding us, from protecting to providing, from our first breath until now, from health to sickness and back again — God has brought us through so much. And to top it all off, he died to save us.
Do you see the mood changing? By listing all of God’s goodness to you, are you there with David yet?
"I will sing to the Lord for he has been good to me."
That statement is always true. That’s why a big part of our service when we gather together to worship God is singing.
And this Sunday, at Abiding Grace, we’ll get to hear some guys who do it exceedingly well. I want to personally invite all of you to come hear the Seminary Chorus from Mequon, Wis., sing God’s praises — for he has been good to us. Their concert, entitled "Songs of Glory" will begin at 10:30 a.m., so come early and get good seats. Our church is located at 5500 Ga. Highway 212 just a mile south of the new Denny Dobbs Park and Oak Hill Elementary School. We’re the one with the big stained glass window out front.
The chorus is made up of men studying for the pastoral ministry and takes only one extended tour a year, where they sing at about a dozen churches, so to have them here is a rare privilege.
You can find out more about them by clicking on the link to the Seminary Chorus on our website abidinggrace.com. The concert is free and open to all, but there will be a freewill offering to help cover their expenses. I hope you can all make it. Call 770-385-7691 if you have any questions. And come join us to sing to the Lord – for he has been good to me, and you!
May God bless all your days with his song in your heart.
Rev. Jonathan Scharf is pastor of Abiding Grace Lutheran Church in Covington. Worship every Sunday is at 10:30 a.m. Full sermons and more information can be found at abidinggrace.com.
