Praying or Singing, Direct to God

This morning I am continuing my study of the word “sing”. I was reminded in my reading that I am to remember to direct both my prayer and singing to God. Not for the world to see specifically, but for God to witness.

“¹³Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.” — James 5:13 (ESV)

I see in the verse above that I am to pray when suffering and sing when cheerful. There is not a mention of public or private matters here, although in verse 14 it is mentioned that we should call on others to pray for us in times of need. Our communication with God is a private matter and should be kept so, but whether praying or singing, it should be to God not to others.

My relationship with God is one that is between He and I. I am to be intimate with Him. I am to be private with Him. I am to be alone with Him. I am to find my place and spend time with Him. And just as the Lord’s Prayer indicates, I should be praising and asking during those times. Even Jesus spent time in solitude with God. If the Garden of Gethsemane He went ahead alone to pray. On the cross He was alone with God. Jesus is the example of my relationship with God and that is to be a private one with He and I.

I know what you might be thinking, what about when we are in public, should I sing and pray for all to see if this relationship is indeed private. Well, yes. I have to remember that even when I am in public, I still have a personal relationship with God. When speaking with Him I am always just speaking with Him. It is not about who else hears, it is that God hears me. I may be in public and others can see and/or hear me, but the conversation is a private one and meant for God and me. I have to remember that I am not here to make myself look good, it is about doing the work of God and doing it to impact others. Even in the corporate worship service, it is not for others to necessarily see, it is about the intimate relationship with God that I should be concerned. In public others will certainly be there, but the prayer and singing is between God and me.

When you are praying and singing, where is your communication directed? Are you working to ensure that others are able to see and hear you? What if you directed your prayer and singing to God and Him alone, regardless of where you might be?

We Sing Praise and Thanksgiving

Yes, I know that I have written recently about singing praise and frankly when reading and studying singing, it is always about praise and thanksgiving. Isn’t that how it should be. Shouldn’t the singing to our LORD be to praise Him for who He is and to thank Him for what He has done. I should be lifting Him up as He has done with me.

“¹Praise the LORD!

For it is good to sing praises to our God;

for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.”

“⁷Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;

make melody to our God on the lyre!”

— Psalm 147:1 & 7 (ESV)

Yes, there are songs that are for me asking the LORD, but the ones that make the biggest impact are those that are centered around praise and thanksgiving. I have sinned and the LORD has accepted me. I have turned away from Him and He has waited on me to turn back. I continue to sin and He looks past it and loves me. Praise to Him for His wonderful love and thanks to Him for giving me the chance to be a part of the Family of God.

I think about my before and after salvation. Before salvation, I was searching for something that would make be whole and something that I could be a part of that would be comforting. I was lost and was looking to be found. I was asking for rescue and not sure where it was going to come from. After salvation, I am thankful for being found. I am thankful for being a part of something that is comforting and I now feel whole.

Now that I have been saved and have that something to make me whole and am able to feel comforted, I am to be singing praises and thanksgiving and not asking for deliverance. I am to bring glory to the LORD and marvel at His awesomeness and not be looking for more. I now know that He is enough and all else I need He will provide.

I know that there are time that I will ask for from the LORD. I will find myself in need at some point and will ask for assistance and for deliverance. In those times is when the LORD will provide as He always has and will continue. For Jesus said:

“⁷Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” — Matthew 7:7-8 (ESV)

The above is true, the LORD will give when we are seeking to find. I have to remember though, that the seeking is for deliverance, not for what I want. God knows what it is that I truly need and my asking is from the heart and should be asking for His will to be done, not my wants to be fulfilled. I will be delivered and then the praise and thanksgiving begins again and should be continuous as the LORD has delivered and will continue to do so, even as I am not deserving.

What singing are you doing? Are you singing always in the desperate attempt to receive? What if the vast majority of your singing were in praise and thanksgiving for all that the LORD has done for you?

Sing Continuously in Praise

This morning as I read in Psalm, I was reminded that I am to sing praise to the LORD continuously. I am studying in Psalm 89 and noticed the first 18 verses were the praises for the LORD. There is not any asking for anything, it is just praising and it all begins with verse one and the acknowledgment of the steadfast love of the LORD.

“¹I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever;

with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.”

— Psalm 89:1 (ESV)

I have to remember to sing of His love to all and at all times. I have to open with praise and thanksgiving and be sure to stick with it. Jesus taught us to pray with The Lord’s Prayer and it opens the same as this passage in Psalm, with praise to the LORD.

“¹Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ ²And he said to them, ‘When you pray, say:

‘Father, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come.’”

— Luke 11:1-2 (ESV)

I am to start everything off with bring praise and glory to the LORD. In my singing I praise Him first and for a while. I am to give Him the glory that He deserves before all else. I am to lift Him up above all else.

I know that when I do lift Him up continuously, my mindset changes and I am less likely to be concerned with my own wants and will be more inclined to ask for those things that will guide me more in the direction of doing His will. The selfish requests are subsided and I am able to focus on the tasks that the LORD has for me. I take away the self and move to serving others. I am thankful for the life given and content in what I have received and can now spread that life to others knowing that I am doing the work of the LORD.

Singing to the LORD is the expression of our relationship with the LORD. That relationship is not one sided and for the LORD to give and we ask for more and simply take what He provides. I have to remember that I am to be giving as well, though there is nothing the LORD “needs” in order to make in the world as He is the LORD after all. But, I do have an important thing to give and I have to remember to make it a center of my relationship with Him, praise, glory, and thanksgiving. I have to remember that I can give praise, glory, and thanksgiving to the LORD for all that He has provided me. I have received wondrous gifts and must be thankful for those gifts. I have to remember to lead with that praise, glory, and thanksgiving and not just for a moment, but make it the focus of my relationship with Him. When I am thankful for what I have received, my wants are minimal and I focus on service of others as opposed to myself.

What do your conversations with the LORD look like? Are you giving more time to asking for something and less to thanking Him? What if you sang praise, glory, and thanksgiving to Him and allowed those to dominate the conversation, how much different would you daily outlook be?

Sing as a Nation, as a People

“⁴Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,

for you judge the peoples with equity

and guide the nations upon earth. Selah

⁵Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you!”

— Psalm 67:4-5 (ESV)

Something I realized this morning that I had just put to the back of my mind and heart, we are to sing for joy and praise the LORD as a people and nation, not just independently. We have forgotten that this is a corporate thing and not just a personal thing. I have to remember to do the praising and singing with others and spread that praising and singing to the people and urge them to join me.

I am a very private person. The world does not need to know about me and what is specifically going on in my life. Yes, I blog here and share stories and events, but not to the extent of being overtly specific. I am in the right here as I do keep things to myself that are going on, at least not to share them publicly. With my praise however, I have to open up and be more outward in my expression so as to bring others in. I have to lead others in singing and praise and worship of Christ and be the catalyst to corporate worship.

We are lost as a nation as it pertains to the worship of God. We are no longer in fear of God. We have found the individualism of the social world and are, in some cases, running from God as opposed to running to Him. Yes, we still give optics to Him as we attend church for all to see. We even make it known through social media that we are serving or giving so that everyone will see us. But when it comes to dedicating to all that is to follow Christ and in all arenas, I feel as though we are less than genuine and will lean to the side of social acceptance as opposed to outward praise and worship of God.

We have to get back to the business of God. We have to get back to following Him into all arenas. We have to, as a nation, as a people, get back to singing for joy for all that He has given, done, and will give and do. We have to come together and get back to following God for He is our comforter and guide. As noted, we have to do this as a nation, as a people, as a family. We have to corporately sing and praise the LORD in all that we do.

What does your singing and praising of God look like? Are you approaching it in your own individual way? What if you joined with the people, with the nation and sang, praised, and worship the LORD and did it in all arenas?

Sing to Be Heard

This morning I am reading in Psalm 33 as I study the word “sing”. I do believe that singing is a great way to display emotion in something. It is also used to get the attention in a group or with an audience. Singing is intoxicating to those around you. Singing is powerful and I have realized this morning, it can be used to be heard.

“¹Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous!

Praise befits the upright.

²Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre;

make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!

³Sing to him a new song;

play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.”

— Psalm 33:1-3 (ESV)

In the above verses, singing is used in the same means as shouting and play of an instrument. Think about it. When you are walking in the park, do you even notice and/or stop when someone is speaking to another person, not likely as I know that I do not. But, what about if you hear someone playing an instrument, or singing aloud. My attention is grabbed and I may even stop to listen or at the very least, question what is going on. I know that when I am in a church service, everyone perks up when the organ is played or when someone, let alone the choir begin to sing. They have my attention.

Singing is powerful and can be used for more than just expressing one’s self. Yes, it is a great outlet for the self expression and should continue to be used as such. I am reminded this morning that is not the only thing singing for which it can be used. I know now that when looking to gain the attention of others and to be heard, opening with song is a great way to accomplish this.

Now, I have to place a disclaimer here. I am looking here at the one side of the coin and that is singing as a way to spread our message of love and praise. Singing is powerful and in the wrong hands can spread the wrong message, but it is still a very powerful way of getting attention and a way to be heard.

I break out a little song in my training classes in the interest of having a little fun and keeping the environment light. I guess I did not really give it a lot of thought as to the grabbing of the attention of the group and my wanting to be heard. I guess I do, and for that I am grateful for the dumb luck of my actions. Singing accomplishes the goal of bringing attention to the subject and grabbing attention of those in attendance so that one can be heard. I have to remember to use my singing to be heard and what I am to be singing should be my praise of the Lord Almighty.

What are you singing for? Are you singing to display your emotion only? What if you use the power of singing to not only express yourself, but to be heard as you spread the gospel?

Sing as We are Protected

The LORD protects me from my enemies as is found in His Word over and over again. He causes them to stumble and fall and He conquers them on my behalf to allow me to continue doing His work. I have been raised up and should be taking the opportunity to praise Him.

“⁶And now my head shall be lifted up

above my enemies all around me,

and I will offer in his tent

sacrifices with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make melody to the LORD.”

— Psalm 27:6 (ESV)

There are too many enemies in this world. I cannot account for them all. They are after me for my following of Jesus and the work I am doing for Him. The evil one is driving those enemies to attack me on all sides and keep me from doing the work for Christ. I have to be strong and know that I am being protected by God as I am doing His work. He shelters me and covers me so that I am able to feel safe and secure.

“⁵For he will hide me in his shelter

in the day of trouble;

he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;

he will lift me high upon a rock.”

— Psalm 27:5 (ESV)

Knowing that I am protected, I have the chance to sing to the LORD. I have the obligation to praise Him for that protection. I have to remember to show all that He is the one behind my safety and security. I cannot and have not done any of it on my own. I have a benefactor to my work. I am granted all from the LORD and that includes the safety to complete the work.

I have to also remember that the safety and protection is for the work that He has for me and it is the work and not the result that I am protected for. I am not guaranteed a part in the result, only in the work. The result may not be what I expected or wanted (riches, acknowledgment, reward). I am to do the work of Christ and allow Him to protect me in that work and know that I have done the work for Him.

I have to sing praise to the LORD for the work and the protection during the work. I have to know that He is with me, even now as I type and study. This is the work of God and I am protected to continue this work in His name. Who this work reaches is not for me to say, I am only to do the work and take it as far as He asks me to take it. The LORD is responsible for the result of the work and I for simply doing it. I am protected while doing the work and will sing His praise for that protection.

Who are you praising for the protection as you continue the work are you doing? Are you even aware that you are indeed protected? What if you approached the work of the LORD knowing that you are protected and that you can sing His praise as a result?

The LORD is My Song

I have been singing for a while now. No, I am not a pro, and I certainly do not think of myself as one at all. I have been told that I have a great voice and yet, I do not really think that I do. I was in the band in school and can read music, but knowing theory of music is not something that I know. I cannot tell a “middle C” from any other note. But what I can do is sing in joy.

I read this morning in Exodus about “The Song of Moses” and realized that it is not about the beauty in the voice. Not about the melody. Not about whether anyone specifically likes the tune. “The Song of Moses” is about recognizing that the LORD is my song. It is about giving all to Him. It is about being delivered from all that was/is brought against me.

“¹Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying,

‘I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously;

the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.

²The LORD is my strength and my song,

and he has become my salvation;

this is my God, and I will praise him,

my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

³The LORD is a man of war;

the LORD is his name.’”

— Exodus 15:1-3 (ESV)

The song I sing is less about what is said or how it sounds, and more about what is in the heart. I have to remember that the LORD knows what is in my heart regardless if I know what to say or how to orate what is there. Even in prayer, God knows and I do not even have to speak.

“⁷But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.’” — 1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV)

I do not even have to speak to be known by God, so the words or tune I sing is not the point when I am lifting up praise to Him. I am singing to and for the LORD and what is what is important.

On Sunday at our worship service, my son and I were singing to the LORD and again the words were not important. The two of us were simply lifting up the LORD in our actions and allowing Him to fill us with His glory as He listened to our praise. I and he were simply letting the world know that it was indeed the LORD who was at the center of our worship and that He alone was deserving. I and he did not really worry with what everyone around us were singing or hearing as we were dedicated to the lifting up of the LORD with our voice of praise to and of Him. The LORD was definitely our song.

What is your song? Are you interested in the words and the sounding good? What if you simply lifted of the LORD and allowed Him to be your song?

Stay Alive in Faith

I have been saved by Christ and justified through my faith. I now have to remain alive in that faith and how is that done but through my works. I have to continue to demonstrate my faith and justification through my works for Christ and that will keep me alive in my faith and guide me in my relationship with Christ.

“¹⁵If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, ¹⁶and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? ¹⁷So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” — James 2:15-17 (ESV)

My faith and justification is not determined by my works, but it is displayed by them. I have to remember that just because I have been saved and justified, that is not the end of it all for me. I also have to remember that it is not my works that get me there, but it is my works for Christ that demonstrate that I am there. Without the works, I am simply sitting and not completing the tasks that God has given me to complete.

In my role as a professional trainer in the world I am not directly involved in the growing of and enhancing the business. Granted, that is not my role and I have accepted that training is who I am and not just what I do, yet there is a part of me that thinks that I could be adding so much more. This is the feeling I get until I take a closer look at just how I am impacting and the work that I am doing. I care for the people and do all in my scope to impact them. I do believe that they know I care for them. I do believe that I am impacting them. I do believe that work is the work for God. I also write here about what I am learning and spreading that to others. This is the work for God. I am faithful, I am justified, and I am not dead.

What works are you doing? Are they for God and as a demonstration of your faith or are you hoping to gain faith and justification? What if you relied on your faith and did the work to remain alive in that faith?

Justified Then Works

I have written a number of times about the fact that works are more done as a result of our justification and not to in some way gain justification. I have to remember that as a follower of Christ, I have already been justified and as a result, I have work to do for God, not as repayment for my justification, but I am now part of the family and I am responsible for work in the family.

“⁸The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.” — Titus 3:8 (ESV)

I notice in the above verse in the letter from Paul to Titus, “those who have believed in God” will “devote themselves to good works”. Paul does not say that the good works guide them in their believing, but that they have already believed and now will do the good works. It is those who were justified that will be compelled to do the good works. We do nothing in the way of works to gain justification, that comes from simply accepting Christ as our Savior and fully believing in Him.

“⁴But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, ⁵he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, ⁶whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” — Titus 3:4-7 (ESV)

We are saved “according to his own mercy” and not by the works that we do. I can give to all the charities, feed all of the homeless, adopt all the children, build homes and hospitals and yet without acceptance of Jesus Christ as my Savior, I will still not be justified. With that acceptance, I will not be in the business of gaining something from my giving, I will simply be giving as a part of my role as a member of the family of God.

I have said that my wife and I like to watch television series and we just started another, “New Amsterdam”, that really tugs on our heart strings. In one episode, there was a father and daughter seeking help for the ailing daughter. She needed a lung transplant and of course the father was willing to give for his daughter. He was however not a match for her yet was a match for another in the hospital. He was informed that if he gave, the hospital would do everything they could to find a donor for his daughter, and he agreed. As the episode unfolded, it turned out that the daughter was not strong enough in the moment to go through the surgery. That did not deter the father one bit. He agreed to give even expecting nothing in return. In the end the daughter did receive the transplant and all was well, but the story here is about the giving of the father, not to gain something, but to give.

There is a lot to unpack in the above, but I will simply leave it here. I have to remember to be like the father and know that I have already received my reward from Christ thanks to my acceptance of Jesus as my Savior. I have been justified already and now it is time for me to give, not to gain, but because I have received.

What are you doing as works in the world? Are you doing works to gain something? What if you accepted Christ and the justification that comes with salvation and then did works to simply give?

All In, Justified by Faith

This morning I continued my study on the word “justified” and remained in the book of Galatians. The passage is from chapter five and is titled in my bible, “Christ Has Set Us Free”. I can only think of my approach to my justification through my faith in Christ and wonder am I indeed all in or am I still looking to be justified through keeping of the law.

Let me explain a minute. I have indeed accepted Christ as my savior and believe that He died for my sins and that the sins I have committed and those that I will commit have been expunged. God has forgiven me and forgotten all that I have done. If that is true, why would I still hold on and try and influence others by insisting that they do things or that I am doing things the right way and in the spirit of Christ? Am I somehow looking for justification from man for the work that I am doing and am claiming somehow that I am righteous for the work that I am doing?

“⁴You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.” — Galatians 5:4 (ESV)

I have to get out of this thought pattern and rely solely on the justification provided me by the sacrifice of Christ and His forgiveness of my sins. Christ is enough and I have to be all in and justified by faith and not be looking to the works or law for that justification or I might as well fall away from Christ and continue to rely only on myself.

“⁵For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. ⁶For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.” — Galatians 5:5-6 (ESV)

My works are important, not for my justification or salvation, but for demonstration of my salvation and justification. I have been granted the freedom from sin through my acceptance of Christ and my faith in Him. I have now to show the world what I have been given.

“¹³For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ¹⁴For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” — Galatians 5:13-14 (ESV)

I am all in for Christ. I have been justified through my faith in Him and I do NOT need to seek it anywhere or from anyone else. I only have to demonstrate my faith and that I have been justified through my actions serving others. I should not expect anything from anyone, just give to them and allow God to work through me into their lives.

Where are you looking for your justification? Are you continuing to seek it, even after you have been justified by Christ? What if you were just all in with your faith and justification from Christ and allowed Him to work through you and your actions as you demonstrate your justification through your service?