“The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.”
~ Psalm 147:11
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you like to sing? How well can you sing? Your grandpaa cannot sing. When your grandpaa tries to sing, your grandpaa’s mouth will not do what your grandpaa’s brain tells it to do. There have been times when a guy or gal in front of your grandpaa has turned around to look at your grandpaa when your grandpaa has tried to sing. During the week one year in Bolivia when the Bolivian South America Mission field team missionaries got together for their annual meetings, your grandpaa and the rest of the guys on the field committee were to sing. One of the guys on the field committee decided that he would not sing because he did not want to sing with your grandpaa in front of the other field missionary guys and gals. Your dad has a really good voice for singing. Your dad sang with different groups when your dad was in high school. Your grandmaa has a real nice voice for singing, too. Your grandpaa’s dad and ma are not very good singers. Do you think that it is important that you are able to sing? Do you think that it is it important that you sing? Guys and gals in every culture in every country use music as a way to entertain themselves. Guys and gals in every culture in every country use instruments to make music. If you turn on a radio, you are going to hear songs being sung. If you go to a parade, you are going to see bands with a lot of different instruments making music. If you go to a typical restaurant for dinner here in Guatemala, the restaurant may while you eat have guys play a marimba using small mallets. There is a strip mall near where your grandmaa and grandpaa live in Guatemala. When your grandpaa a couple of days ago went to this strip mall to buy groceries at the grocery store that is there, there was a group of guys where your grandpaa parked who were dressed in suits and ties, These guys were playing typical music and singing. At the same time at a store which sells music cassettes and CDs, the store was playing music about as loud as music can be played. It is the Christmas season. Schools and churches are having special Christmas programs. What is always done in a Christmas program? Singing. God has given the guys, gals and kids who He elected for Himself before He created planet Earth reason to sing.
Why do you think that guys, gals and kids innately enjoy singing or listening to singing? God created guys, gals and kids to enjoy hearing other guys, gals and kids sing and to enjoy hearing the sounds of instruments. The guys, gals and kids who God did not choose for Himself before He created planet Earth or the guys, gals and kids who still have not made a decision of faith to believe in Jesus – God’s Son, as their personal Lord and Savior, are just singing for the sake of singing. Guys and gals who do not know God have written and are writing songs which do not praise God. The songs that these guys and gals are writing reflect what the song writer is thinking regarding his or her own life. Many of the songs these guys and gals are writing express anger, evil desires, wrong motives, frustration and other feelings which in no way honor and glorify God’s name. The guys, gals and kids who God did elect for Himself before He created planet Earth and who have already made a decision of faith to believe in Him through His Son – Jesus Christ, have other reasons for singing. These guys, gals and kids first of all cannot help it but want to sing. These guys, gals and kids – like your grandmaa, grandpaa, dad, ma, Aunt Lynn and Uncle Chris, know what God has done in their lives. These guys, gals and kids know God as the creator and that God sees to the unfolding of His creation. Psalm 147 is a song of praise that God’s specially chosen guys and gals would sing to God. God’s specially chosen guys and gals were living in the land which God had promised His specially chosen guys and gals that they would always have to live in as their very own land if . . . these guys and gals knew that it was the right thing to do to sing songs or psalms of praise and thanks to God. God does not hear how well a guy, gal or kid sings; God just hears the voices of guys, gals and kids as they are praising and thanking Him.
What are you thanking and praising God for when you sing to Him? Are you thanking and praising God for having no limits in what He can do for you? Do you thank God for the clouds – which He uses to carry rain to drop to the ground to nourish grass? Do you thank God for the grass – which He uses as nourishment for animals which become food for you? Do you thank God for the food that you eat – which gives you the energy to praise and thank Him? What do you think really makes God happy? The Psalm writer wrote in verse 11 that “the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” Do you fear God? Why do you think that God wants you to fear Him? If you fear God, you will only want to do the things that will please to Him. The guys, gals and kids who will never get to know God – which will be every guy, gal and kid who will never make a decision of faith to believe in what God has done though His only Son – Jesus Christ, will never be able to make God happy. These guys, gals and kids will never know what real happiness is like. These guys, gals and kids will never know where snow or frost or hail or . . . really comes from. These guys, gals and kids will never know the God who is keeping complete order in the universe that He created. Do you ever wonder if God specially elected you before He created planet Earth? You cannot please God by doing. You please God by believing. When you believe, it is your faith which opens your mind and heart to know what God has done and is doing for you. Because of your faith in God, you cannot help it but want to sing praises to God. Even though your grandpaa cannot sing, your grandpaa knows that when he tries to sing that he is making God happy. What God hears when you sing is what is in your heart.
Psalm 147 (115)