Sing For Joy
One of the great themes in Psalm 149 is that we are supposed to sing for joy. Verse 2: "Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King." Verse 5: "Let His faithful people rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds."
Joy Through Music
Joy everywhere! Music has a way of bringing us joy. Have you noticed that? Bob Marley once said that the great thing about music is that when it hits you, you don't feel any pain. In other words, music has a way of lifting you up.
But I think he got it a little bit wrong. I think music is a way for us to delight in God. I think music that lifts us up without helping us delight in God doesn't really lead us where we need to be.
Delighting In God
We need to be people who are drawing nearer to God and rejoicing in Him. That's why we have our worship songs; that's why we have our hymns — so that they can remind us to take joy, not in them, but in God Himself.
Think of it. Why does anybody ever write a love song? It's not the song itself that they love, but it's the person who the song is written about. And in much the same way, our singing and our worship and our music is all about Jesus. It's all about our God. We must take delight in Him. Did you see how those verses said that? "Let Israel rejoice in their Maker and be glad in their King." It is Him who gives us joy.
Joy In Trials
You see, life often has a way of getting us down. Life often has a way of beating us around. We're not just people who dance around and pretend that everything's OK. No, we take strain at times. We weep. We struggle. But you see, when we cling to God — when we call Him our greatest delight and our greatest treasure — then we can have joy and sing for joy even in our darkest moments.
Music is very powerful in this way. It can really help us feel better when we're not feeling that well. But oh, let our music always bring us closer to God and help us to rejoice and delight in Him, because only in Him can we truly find real joy.
Sing today, friends, and sing for joy in God. And then — whatever you're going through, even if you're in a valley — you'll be able to rejoice and sing for joy, because it is Him that you're taking delight in.
