S) "1 Sing to the Lord a new song;
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day."
Psalm 96:1-2 (NASB)
O) This Psalm is pretty much entirely admonition to praise the LORD, especially in the hearing and view of other nations, other peoples. There are points in the Psalm where it shows it's not exclusively evangelical (if you will, see vv. 6, 8, 13). These first two verses, though, set a tone that really make their points, regardless of the hearer, regardless of who might be seeing and listening.
Sing... a new song...
Proclaim... His salvation...
A) One of my absolute-favorite Christmas movies, is "Elf" and one of my favorite scenes, is when he first meets his dad. His dad thinks he's a singing telegram, so Buddy starts a song on the spot. It's an entertaining reminder of child-like innocence, that shows how a child will sing to their parent - just because. I've had the joy of seeing this firsthand, when my kids were each pretty small. Sometimes I forget that I am that same child to my Father in heaven. He just wants to hear me sing, and He just wants to hear what's on my heart.
The second verse really convicted me, though. I don't consider myself much of an evangelist (although I've felt plenty draw in particular circumstances). However, this verse is not a call to evangelism, necessarily. What I realized, as I re-read this, was that I have so much opportunity to proclaim good tidings of His salvation, without ever even trying to evangelize someone. I think what happened to me (and perhaps it happens to others) is that I sometimes think about this type of proclamation, so much as evangelism, that I forget to do it for my own sake! I need to change that. Even within my family, on a daily basis, I need to proclaim how faithful, loving, freeing, kind, compassionate, and redeeming He has been!
P) Father, I am sorry that I have not sung to You as often as You would probably like. Help me to let go of pretense and false-dignity, and just let my heart pour out of my mouth in literal singing! Also, forgive me for forsaking the call to proclaim Your salvation everyday. There is never going to be a shortage of material, because You are so incredibly gracious to me. Help me to be committed to sharing those good tidings daily, even if it's just within my family or close friends. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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