Sing It Again

Your promise still stands, Great is your faithfulness, faithfulness I’m still in your hands, Great is your faithfulness, faithfulness

This chorus has not left my mind and my heart since we sang it at church this past Sunday. One of the hardest parts for me when I help lead worship is having to choose songs. Sometimes, I do not feel like singing the words of the songs chosen. Other times, I worry that the songs do not connect well to the sermon or to us. Then, there’s musicality and the technicalities of which instruments do what and how it will sound. Many times, I have stage fright and cannot control my voice. It often feels like a billion things race through my mind on those Sundays when I have chosen the music.

What always brings me back are the words of the songs we sing, whether they have been written verbatim from scripture, or convey a message about God and my place as His loved one. 1 Chronicles 16:9 calls us to “Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; speak of all His wonders”. Words have power (Proverbs 18:21) and singing His praises or praying through musical worship speaks life. Music even affects a different part of our brain (right side) than just reading things aloud (left side); we need both sides to fully comprehend who we are to God and what we are called to do!

Right now, I sing the chorus above more so because I need to remind myself to believe those words, to hold fast to that truth: “If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself” (2 Timothy 2:13) and “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). We are called to meditate on His words and the truths about who God is, so I don’t mind that it is stuck in my head and I sing it over and over. Other phrases in the song that I love are in the bridge:

I’ve seen you move, you move the mountains. And I believe, I’ll see you do it again! You’ve made a way, where there was no way. And I believe, I’ll see you do it again!

Other than that music being catchy, it is still a good reminder that the God of the universe will fulfill what he has promised—and does so repeatedly!

James 5:13 says, “Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.” When is the last time you really looked at the lyrics to our worship songs? When was the last time you sought what they mean to you? Have you ever thought of using a song as a prayer to God? I know that worship is not all about music or poetry or lyrics. But if such words can have power, and Jesus is the Word, should we not sing it again?