Here is a nice new song by Sovereign Grace Music that challenges us to respond to God’s many blessings with singing. Because of all that God has done for us – we must sing! Has He given us life and breath? Does He help you in your trials? Has Jesus saved you? Then join all of creation and sing!
Lyrics, chord charts, lead sheets, related Scriptures, places to listen or buy, and more are available on their site here.
Today’s batch of Reformation-related posts are all about preaching and singing:
The Real Engine Room of the Reformation – Michael Reeves (TGC)
Why Martin Luther’s Preaching Was So Offensive – Herman Selderhuis (Crossway)
6 Lessons from Luther on Congregational Singing – Matt Merker (TGC)
Martin Luther’s Shelter Amid the Flood of Depression – Ryan Griffith (TGC)
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God: Discovering the Power of Luther’s Original Lyrics – David Mathis (DG)
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
What We Need Most – Kevin DeYoung
I’m convinced that more evangelism, more prayer, more fruitfulness, more holiness will flow from the fountain of our lives only when we start drinking more deeply of Christ.
70 Prompts for Praising God – Lianna (Of Larks)
Praise Him with me through this list of 70 prompts…
The King Is Within Earshot – Tim Challies
If you would simply consider how much God loves that other person, you would never speak ill of him.
The Weight of the Church – Nicholas Batzig
…the church is far weightier than any job or school in this world. It is the place of God’s promised spiritual blessing.
Hope you have a great week worshiping our great Lord with your local church!
Which psalm or verse especially reflects your heart today? Use those words to talk to the Lord.
(92, 98, 100) What two attributes of God do you find in all three passages: 92:1-4, 98:1-6, 100:1-5?
How should we respond to these two attributes according to these passages? Describe our heart, our words, and our actions.
Give a recent example of how God has shown these two attributes to you.
(93, 95-97, 99) Many of these psalms celebrate God as the King of Kings who reigns over all the earth. What attributes and actions are related to his reign?
How should we respond to God’s reign according to these psalms? Describe our heart, our words, and our actions.
(91-100) Spend some time praising the Lord.
(91-100) Which verse(s) or psalm especially speaks to you, and why?
Praise is the rehearsal of our eternal song. By grace we learn to sing, and in glory we continue to sing.– Charles Spurgeon
Psalm 29:1-2 calls us to celebrate God’s greatness:
Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.
To this psalm we could add many others that call us to praise God for who he is – a great and glorious God.
Is this part of your prayer life? Do you praise God for his greatness?
The Psalms can help us learn to praise God for his greatness. Many of the Psalms give us words to use to convey our praises. Many hymns and choruses also give us words to use in praising God for who he is. Indeed, when we sing praises to God we are merely setting our prayers to music.
As we praise God for his greatness, we ought also to praise God for his many blessings. Psalm 117 call us to:
Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples!
For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!
By his love and faithfulness, God showers us with countless blessings, and we should praise him for them.
Is this part of your prayer life? Do you praise God for his blessings? When he answers a prayer or sends some good thing into your life, are you quick to praise him?
We have a great God who blesses us immensely. As such, praise should be a big part of our prayers.
On Sunday we reviewed the story in Mark 11:7-10 of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The people had lined the way into Jerusalem with palm branches and their own cloaks. They were shouting and singing and celebrating. There was excitement in the air. They saw in Jesus the long awaited king who would save them from Roman oppression.
But we know something they didn’t. In less than a week, Jesus would die on a cross, because he came not to save them from the tyranny of Rome, but from the tyranny of sin. He came to save us by becoming our sacrifice for sins so we could be forgiven and reconciled to God. He came to rise again so we too could be raised from the dead someday. He rose to reign not merely as the king of Israel, but as the king of the whole world, for he is not only in the line of David but also God in the flesh.
If Israel had reason to gather to shout and sing and celebrate Jesus, how much more reason do we have to gather to shout and sing and celebrate Jesus?
But is that why we gather on Sundays? Do we gather to praise the Lord? Do we come ready to shout and sing and celebrate? Really? Is it in our minds? Is it on our hearts? The Israelites had been anticipating that day for years. Do we anticipate during the week that time when we can gather with God’s people to praise him together? Can we hardly wait? Are we excited to come together to praise our great King and Savior?
We have more reason to praise Jesus than the Israelites did. Let’s act like it as we gather this Sunday to praise our risen Savior and King.
And yet we need not wait until Sunday. Let’s get warmed up during the week. As we reflect on the cross this week, let’s shout and sing and celebrate in our personal times with the Lord. Let’s praise the Lord in our own homes as families. We have more reason to praise Jesus this week. Let’s live like it!
We are a singing people because the gospel of the Lord Jesus compels us to sing…. God’s love for us inspires our response of love for Him and calls forth songs of joy from our lips.
Brian J. Mikul 