“O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.” (Psalm 96:1-4a NRSV)
I’ve been missing many things during the pandemic, but nothing compares with the missing elements in worship. Yes, there have been alternatives to traditional worship such as services on Zoom and YouTube and drive-in church and physical distancing church and all the rest. The missing element has been singing! Singing was deemed dangerous as an activity in spreading COVID-19. I found it so very appropriate that at the first worship service when I was invited to join in congregational singing, the opening hymn, by Jim Strathdee, began with the words, “Come, let us sing to the Lord our song: we have stood silently too long”.
The singing did my heart good, but it did much more than that, as the first verse concluded with the words, “surely the Lord deserves our praise, so joyfully thank God for our days.”
Anyone brought up on the catechism, as I was, would remember that our chief end is to glorify God and enjoy God forever. Yes, we can do that in our minds and hearts even when we can’t do it with our voices.
We may have the voice of an angel or the croak of a frog, but the important thing is to offer praise to the Lord our God! In the shower, in the car, on the bus, softly in a crowded store, or lustily on a mountaintop, let’s let our praises flow! “Come, all you creatures, high and low; let your praises endlessly flow.”
Prayer: I will exalt You, O God my king. I will bless Your name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless You and praise Your name for ever and ever. Great are You, Lord, and wonderfully worthy to be praised. Your greatness is past searching out. One generation shall praise Your works to another and declare Your mighty acts. Amen. (adapted from Psalm 145:1-4)
Copyright © 2022, by Kenn Stright <kennethstright@yahoo.ca>, first published on the PresbyCan Daily Devotional presbycan.ca .
West Petpeswick, Nova Scotia, Canada
Reprinted from PresbyCan with author’s permission
