Singing Out Loud
The only problem was, I feared that people would hear me!
Reference: May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14 NIV)
Explore: The other night in small group we were invited to sing along to a DVD of a worship song. We don’t do this all the time, but it was a great way to lead into our study.
The only problem was, I feared that people would hear me! There was probably only 15 people in the room and I wasn’t sure if the TV was going to drown out my singing.
I have often paid myself out about my bad singing, however, this day was no joke. With a croaky voice due to throat nodules, on top of my usual vocal restrictions, I pitied the person who was sitting next to me. Should I just lip sync along?
Thankfully the music was turned up to a decent volume and, keeping my voice low, my bad singing was kept hidden. While I love to sing praises to God, I didn’t want others to be distracted.
Application: Really, I shouldn’t be so sensitive about my singing. Sure, I’m never going to be asked to release an album, but when it comes to praise, that’s not what is important.
Psalm 19:14 is one of my favourite verses, as it helps me to prioritise what is important. Is it essential to God that I sing perfectly? Thankfully, no. Can I please Him in other ways? Thankfully, yes!
The words and thoughts that please God are those that are spoken out of love, integrity and grace. Unfortunately, sometimes my thoughts – as well as my singing – are pretty ugly. And so, I continue to strive to work on them so that I can please God with what I say and who I am.
I would constantly repeat this prayer when I was preaching. Not just when I was about to get up on stage, but all throughout the week too. It’s a daily prayer that I constantly strive for.
Prayer: Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer, May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight. Amen.
Would God be pleased with everything that came out of your mouth today?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.
1 comment:
Hi Linda, scripture just says ‘make a joyful NOISE unto the Lord’ When I realised this I was set free to praise Him a little louder without too many concerns for the poor person next to me. Best trick is to be next to a great singer and pretend their singing is yours… Love yu