I love the psalm that tells us to sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds (98:1). I love it because I love to sing. But as I sit here with this psalm before me, I wonder what it is telling me when it says I should sing a new song.
Why does the song have to be new? Why not sing a familiar song, or a favorite one? Perhaps the message is that when we sing to the Lord, the song needs to come from my heart, to be my expression of my sentiments.
I remember when I worked on my undergrad thesis. The chair of the department had his own views on who I should write about and what I should write. I did not feel comfortable with that agenda. So I switched advisors. My new advisor told me to run with my heart, and trust my instincts. That brought me into a new level of exploration and confidence. Trusting my instincts, I found the new.
I think that is what psalm 98 is telling us. There are many songs out there for us to sing. But when I sing to the Lord and run with my own heart, I come to a new level with the Lord. The song is no longer a general hymn of praise, but reflects something I have found within my own heart. I am empowered, because I have made the song my own. I have found the new.
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