Sing a new song...

For years now, this phrase in the psalms has caught my attention. “Sing to the Lord a new song.” While it would definitely make sense for the Lord to be directly speaking to me, “Matt, you’re way out of key son! Find a new one.” I thankfully know Him to be much more gracious than that, as scripture calls us all (no matter how skillful or talented) to make a joyful noise to Him (Psalm 95:1-2, 98:4-6, 100:1, Colossians 3:16).

So what does it mean? Well, some have suggested that it is not as much about creating a new tune as it is about responding to the Lord’s goodness in a fresh and genuine way. Interestingly, each psalm reflects a unique experience of God’s grace. For instance, Psalm 98:1 sings a new song that speaks of the Father’s marvelous and supernatural works and Psalm 144 says to shout a new chorus because He has rescued and delivered His people. Psalm 96:1-2 suggests a fresh melody about His salvation, while Psalm 33 prompts us to express a new song of gratitude for our Creator that knows, strengthens, and empowers His people. So perhaps, “sing a new song” is an encouragement for us to do both - praise Him for what He’s done, but also for all He's doing.

When I was a child, I can remember my dad getting together with some of his old high school buddies and telling stories from what Springsteen would call the “Glory Days”…whether it was a story about learning to play baseball with an axe handle and a whiffle ball, or the time dad ran for 4 touchdowns, or the time they pulled the bumper off a truck because “whoa” and “go” sound an awful lot a like – we’d hear the same stories over and over!

Now, despite all the grief that we children gave our poor dads, we actually love those stories. And as I get older, I understand how homeruns seem to measure a little further with each passing year than when they were first hit. Tales of sandlot fame and bonehead blunders are funny and timeless. They should definitely be told! But perhaps the point of this phrase found throughout the psalms is to remind us that our faith stories should be different.

Sure, we should tell of how the Lord first made Himself known to us. We should frequently reference how He has saved our soul! When conversation allows, we should often remind our children of those times of deliverance – from disease, during financial hardship, when loneliness weighed heavily. But if we only speak of that which He did years ago, the unsaid thing is that He isn’t stirring us currently. Without meaning to do so, we convey that we’re not dependent and expectant of the Lord’s grace today.

My prayer for us is that we might authentically display a reliance on His living and active word, gratefully anticipating His new and tender mercies each morning. Psalm 40 reminds us that we don’t have to come up with the lyrics to this new song, but rather it is the Lord that puts these words in our mouth…

1 I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord.

 

Oh, that we might have the spiritual eyes to witness the Lord at work and the faithfulness to joyfully sing of His grace.