Hebrews 10:23-25 (CEB)

1 Sing to the Lord a new song
    because he has done wonderful things!
His own strong hand and his own holy arm
    have won the victory!
2 The Lord has made his salvation widely known;
    he has revealed his righteousness
    in the eyes of all the nations.
3 God has remembered his loyal love
    and faithfulness to the house of Israel;
    every corner of the earth has seen our God’s salvation.

4 Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth!
    Be happy!
    Rejoice out loud!
    Sing your praises!
5 Sing your praises to the Lord with the lyre—
    with the lyre and the sound of music.
6 With trumpets and a horn blast,
    shout triumphantly before the Lord, the king!

Reflection

Some psalms are praises that seem to soar to the heights of spiritual devotion. Psalm 98 is a great example of that and can be seen in the reference to “new things” God is doing. For the Israelites at that time, God’s hand was seen at work in Cyrus becoming the king of Persia and facilitating their return to the Promised Land – a new thing that deserved a new song.

Every intervention of God is a new thing. God’s acts of salvation consider the ever-changing circumstances of the earth and its creatures. When you woke up this morning, it was a new day never before experienced. Perhaps you felt the presence of the Spirit and Christ’s love?

A song of praise for redeeming love is a new song, such a song as had not been sung before; for this is a mystery which was hidden from ages and generations but now can be a new experience in our lives at any time.

One of my all-time favorite songs, because of the words and the beauty, is Mercy Me’s “I Can Only Imagine.” The awe of our Lord expressed in the stanza below reflects the thankfulness, rejoicing spirit, and honor with music and song found in our Psalm:

“Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for you Jesus
Or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in your presence
Or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing hallelujah?
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine, yeah
I can only imagine”

(If you have 4 minutes to listen to the song, this is a nice version.)   

by Clarence Beverage

For Pondering & Prayer

Are you able to make time in your life to experience songs that honor God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit? That can happen anywhere, and at any time, you carve out a moment for it.

One of the great gifts that MUMC offers, and has offered for a very long time, has been outstanding music in all its many forms. If you worship in person or virtually, take a moment to form an image in your mind of a moment when music moved you in worship. What song was it, and how did it touch your heart?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your presence in our lives and for giving us the opportunity to see each morning as a new day with new possibilities. We thank you for the gift of music, so important to you that scripture records Jesus and the disciples singing a hymn after the last supper before going to the Mount of Olives. Help us to keep growing in our faith, love and appreciation for you through hearing and seeing your Word in all of the ways you have given us to do that. Amen.