"'The Lord is my strength and song... He is my God; and I will praise Him'.... And Miriam answered, 'Sing to the Lord! For He has triumphed gloriously!'" (Exodus 15:2, 21)

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“SING TO THE LORD”

Rev. Lorentz R. Soneson

O sing to the Lord a new song!
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
(Psalm 96:1)

How can we say “thank you” to the Lord, who makes everything and gives us everything? One way is to sing aloud our thanks with love and energy. We say what we think, but singing is often the best way to express what we feel. When our hearts are full of joy and thanksgiving, it is natural to break into song to show others how we feel and share our happiness with them. In fact, we are told in the Word that we should sing to the Lord and make a joyful noise. One of the Psalms says, “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms” (Psalm 95:2). This is something we can do at almost any time. When we are happy, we can whistle or hum or sing, and say grateful thanks to the Lord in our hearts for all that He has given us.

Most of the Psalms (which are songs) were written by David. The Book of Psalms in the Word was like a hymnal for the Children of Israel. They loved to sing, especially in worship, and David was called “the sweetest Psalmist of Israel.” But when he died, the last thing David said was that he did not really write the Psalms. They were words from the Lord. David said, “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue” (II Samuel 23:2).

One of the songs taught to David by the Lord was a song for the sabbath. It begins, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High” (Psalm 92:1). Another song, Psalm 105, says, “O give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him…” (Psalm 105:1-2). These beautiful words were a part of the Israelites’ temple worship. At one time four thousand Levites took part in the musical duty in the temple. The same God who put songs into the hearts of those ancient worshipers puts song into our hearts today, so when we sing, it makes us feel better. It brings pleasure to those who hear it, and it sends a message about how we feel.

In the Heavenly Doctrine for the New Church we are taught that the people in heaven also love to sing. After all, heaven is a place where people are happy and thankful to the Lord for just being there. So angels often raise their voices in song. We are told that in the other life, “they also have songs, and sing from them precisely as in the world. The spiritual angels are exceedingly fond of songs” (Spiritual Experiences 5603). There are special choirs that can be heard every day in heaven, and people open their doors and windows to let the sound come in.

So whenever you sing hymns to the Lord, keep in mind all the things that He has given you. All that He asks in return is for us to give our thanks in prayer and in song. Let the Lord hear that you really are grateful by singing loudly and cheerfully from your heart. And think of all the songs you will be singing in heaven to eternity with other angels who love the Lord!

“Sing to the Lord, bless His name.”

Amen.

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