By David ReayTuesday 31 Dec 2013LifeWords DevotionalsFaithReading Time: 0 minutes
Transcript:
Read Psalm 98:1-3
1 Sing a new song to the LORD,
for he has done wonderful deeds.
His right hand has won a mighty victory;
his holy arm has shown his saving power!
2 The LORD has announced his victory
and has revealed his righteousness to every nation!
3 He has remembered his promise to love and be faithful to Israel.
The ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. (NLT)
When the Psalmist urges us to sing a new song to the Lord he is not really suggesting we get cracking on new lyrics,or devising some modern tunes to replace the old hymns. In this sense,there is nothing inherently better in a new song than an old one. Beware of chronological snobbery. One sort says that only the old songs are truly godly; another sort says that we can only truly worship God with contemporary songs.
All such issues are foreign to this Psalm. To sing a new song here means to have a new experience of God,a fresh response to his character and actions. A contemporary taste of an ancient tradition. We are invited to not let next year be just the same as this year,not let our experience of God be mere memories of some golden age of the past.
The Christian life is not a matter of fond memories of a great time had in years past. It includes that,but also embraces our confidence that there is more to come. Our lives are,metaphorically,a succession of songs to be sung. They comprise our response to the living God. So we ask ourselves now and often: what new song is God bidding me to sing?
Blessings
David Reay