I recently encouraged you to Tell Your Soul to Sing and today I want to share with you what God has been showing me about that powerful act.
First – here is the video that inspired me to begin to tell my soul to sing. . . Louder, Louder!
Isn’t that fantastic!? How can you ‘tell your soul to sing’ when you don’t fee like it? And what should I tell my soul to sing? It’s great to get all hyped up over a great song. . . but then what? And, what does it mean that The World Needs Your Song?
Let’s revisit the verses from a previous post:
[5] Why are you cast down, O my inner self? And why should you moan over me and be disquieted within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, my Help and my God. [6] O my God, my life is cast down upon me [and I find the burden more than I can bear]; therefore will I [earnestly] remember You from the land of the Jordan [River] and the [summits of Mount] Hermon, from the little mountain Mizar. [7] [Roaring] deep calls to [roaring] deep at the thunder of Your waterspouts; all Your breakers and Your rolling waves have gone over me. Psalm 42:5-7, Amplified Bible
The Amplified Bible translation can be a little much if you’re not used to it – but take your time and let these verses roll over you for a minute. . .
I shall yet praise Him, my Help and my God. . .
My life is cast down upon me and I find the burden more than I can bear. . .
I will remember You and your abundant land of promise. . .
Roaring deep calls to roaring deep. . .
The last thing I feel like doing when the burden is more than I can bear is to worship and praise God. To sing. To engage my mind and body in the act of thankfulness, remembering how good and loving my faithful God is. . . from the bottom of the pit. Yet this is the very thing that will shake the burden loose, as I raise my hands in thankfulness.
Yet. . . there is more. We can have a fantastic time worshipping God, and proclaiming His goodness. . . but our actions, and what we do with the faith from that encounter is what ultimately puts the nail in the coffin of defeat, death, burdens, and struggles.
It is a powerful act to begin to worship God with the gifts He has entrusted you with. Maybe it is singing, and leading others in worship. Maybe it is writing Bible studies, or working with children. Is it art? Dance? Serving? Whatever God has called you to do – begin to again do that as worship to Him, and watch that burden begin to shake loose. It is a powerful reminder to our souls, and the kingdom of darkness, when we chose to ‘sing’ when we do not yet feel like it. I shall yet praise Him.
This does (at least) a couple of things for our soul: First, it reminds us of God and [His] abundant land of promise. God has called and equipped you to have purpose, meaning, and full, abundant life on this earth. Getting up, and remembering His promises over our lives when we don’t feel like it is a powerful act of worship. I will yet praise the Lord.
Next, ‘singing’ when we do not feel like it will often get our eyes off of the problem, and on God by realizing that the ‘song’ we are to sing will encourage, lift, and help another sing their song. We become God-focused and others-focused. This can be the hardest thing to do when we want to be me-and-my-problem-focused. Ever been there? Ever wanted to stay in pity-party-city, population ONE? Meeeee to! Let’s be honest though, it gets really pathetic, and really lonely, really fast in PPC. So lift up your eyes, remember the abundant promises of God, use your voice, and your gift to praise God, and serve others.
I made this picture, and hung it in my office this summer as a reminder of God’s promises over
me (It says, ‘The World Needs Your Voice’). I look at it often. I don’t always feel like it is true. It is hard at times to believe God’s Word when I cannot see any progress in that direction. So I look at this, I trust His promise, I pray what He has spoken, and I get back to what He asked me to do today: Trust God. Love people. Serve where I am, with what is in my hands today.
As I have done this I have felt my soul respond, to heal, to feel hope again.
Soon you will be found in the roaring deep place with God where His life, His promise, His Spirit so overwhelms you that the problem can be seen for what it is. . . an insignificant speck on the scene of life with Him.
