Sing On!

When I colored the 4" x 6" card that's pictured here, the words Oh, sing to the Lord reminded me of my sweet Mama. From childhood on, I remember that many times throughout the day Mama either sang softly or hummed her favorite Gospel songs as she did household chores, crocheted, or quilted. 

Even as Alzheimer's eroded her memory, she still hummed many of her favorite hymns. Their words encouraged her. They enabled her to worship and praise God. They reminded her of eternal truths, of God's precious promises, of the assurance of His love, of His presence with her...

Mama did what Priscilla J. Owens (born in 1829) says to do:

Sing it softly through the gloom,

When the heart for mercy craves;

Sing in triumph o'er the tomb;

Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

I want to do likewise. Do you?

Sing! Serve!

I love to sing hymns, although folks around me probably wish I’d spray myself with a can of hush. Because I don’t sing beautifully, I’m thankful the Bible says, “Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” (Psalm 100:1-2, ESV, emphasis added).

Now, I can make a joyful noise, even if I don’t have a church-choir voice. And I do come before His presence with singing many times throughout the day, especially early each morning before I read the Bible. (I sing softly behind closed doors, of course, so as not to disturb anyone else.)

This morning, I sang a few phrases from the chorus, “I Will Enter His Gates,” which includes these words found in Psalm 100:4, ESV: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!” (If you’d like to listen to the entire song (and sing along!), click here.

After making my joyful noise unto the LORD, I decided I’d "pray back" Psalm 100, so I said to God:

I will, day by day, make a joyful noise unto You, O LORD of all the earth. I will serve You with gladness in my heart and on my face no matter where You lead me to serve, no matter whom You want me to serve. As I serve, I will remember that You are right beside me, so I will sing praises to you  throughout the day as I sense Your presence, not just in the mornings.

I do know that You are the LORD God, the One who made make me, the One who keeps me. Because I’m happy to belong to You, to be  one of the untold numbers of “sheep” in Your pasture and under Your tender care, I will enter Your gates with thanksgiving in my heart. I will enter Your courts with praise. I will give thanks to You. I will bless/honor Your name by my words, actions, and attitudes.

I will gladly do these things because You, O LORD, are good, and Your steadfast love endures forever, and Your faithfulness to all generations. 

Because I experience Your goodness, Your steadfast love, and Your faithfulness every day, I will sing and serve with joy!

Will you, Dear Reader, do the same?

Lest We Forget!

When a friend told me she places personal calendars in various places in her house so that she’d be reminded several times daily of where she needed to be—and when—I thought about my own strategies for keeping myself reminded of important things. I’ve synched a calendar on my personal computer with one on my cell phone. I also maintain shopping lists and an “ideas for blog posts” file on my cell phone. But even with such technology at my fingertips, I still use paper reminders. I scribble reminders on Post-it® notes, in notebooks, on 4x6 cards, etc. And whenever I have something really important to remember, I stick little reminder notes near my computer, near my purse, etc. so that I’ll be sure to see them.

Knowing how easy it is to forget important matters, I better understand why the phrase “Beware lest you forget…” is found so often in the Bible, particularly in the book of Deuteronomy. That warning was spoken by Moses as he reminded God’s people to take extra care to not forget the LORD their God once they entered into the good land the LORD their God had given to them. Moses knew, as do we, Dear Reader, how easy it is to forget God when blessings are abundant. Although, we’re quick to turn to Him when we have problems, we’re not as quick to seek Him and thank Him when we’re enjoying the good life. Right?

Perhaps we need to place reminders all around us to thank the LORD for the abundant blessings He has so freely given us and to praise Him for all that He is. After all, we DO need to remind ourselves, as the psalmist did, to “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits… (Psalm 103:2, ESV).

We’ll also benefit from frequently reading Psalm 105:1-5, ESV, which lists ways to bless the Lord:

O give thanks to the LORD; 

call upon his name;

make known his deeds among the peoples!

Sing to him; sing praises to him; 

tell of his wondrous works!

Glory in his holy name; 

let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!

Seek the LORD and his strength; 

seek his presence continually!

Remember the wondrous works that he has done….  

(emphasis added)