The presence of God in praise
October 25, 2017
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Psalm 96: 1-9
1 O sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvellous works among all the peoples.
4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be revered above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Honour and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in holy splendour;
tremble before him, all the earth.
People like to sing. Even people who have trouble hitting the right notes will be singing loudly in their kitchens where no-one can hear them. Popular Saturday night TV is full of enthusiastic singers, hoping their talent will make them into stars. My husband and I recently joined a gospel choir and now he can be heard singing at any time of day or night! Songs, music and melodies set themselves into the minds, hearts and souls of humans in a way nothing else does.
I have been working with a children’s singing group for 2 years now and it has been fascinating to see how such a simple little group has brought transformational power to our community. The idea was just to have children come to our church after school and sing together, play music games and have some fun. As we started we quickly realised God had an amazing plan for us. Something greater than our minds could have imagined. In a small country town not known for its diversity, we found parents from many nations bringing their children to the group. Families from many churches enjoyed fellowship together as they enjoyed their children. Grandparents and families experiencing bereavement, difficulty and pain found a haven of joy, peace and supportive friendship. Our public performances touched hearts deeply, especially of the elderly and those struggling with life, and brought healing.
We have been in awe. We only wanted a singing group. But our steps, as we gave ourselves to God for His transformational purpose in this world, brought the Presence of God into so many hearts, homes and churches. One father who had never been in church even found his way to begin a new life of faith in Jesus through his son attending the group.
Giving ourselves to God in praise, no matter our singing ability, will ALWAYS make God smile. As we sing and praise we begin to see The Presence of God come with many surprises for us and our communities.
We sing to you a song of praise Lord,
We lift our voices and our hearts to praise you
You are great and greatly to be praised
We give to you glory and strength
We give you the glory due to your Name
We worship you in the beauty of holiness
We tremble before you and thank you for your goodness to us
Bless the Lord Oh my soul
Bless the Lord and forget not His benefits
Jesus who was, who is and who is to come
We look to you, the Son of God
And we praise you
Fill us with praise Holy Spirit of light
May our songs be your songs
May our voice be your voice
May our lives be given to your life, Transform us O Lord, We are yours, Amen.
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