March 13

Psalm 95

Psalm 95 exhorts us to “come into His presence with thanksgiving, and to make a joyful noise with songs of praise.”

Sunday Eucharist brings a sense of closeness to our Lord through the liturgy, music, Scripture readings and the sermon. I often wondered how to maintain that connection I felt with the Father during the Eucharist.  Then the Lord showed me that the worship music of hymns and contemporary songs on Sunday was just the beginning of a week that could be filled with songs of praise for Him. In fact Sunday sets the tone for me for the remainder of the week. I have found listening to Christian music throughout the week helps me sense the presence of the Lord as I “sing praises of thanksgiving” to our gracious Savior.  Traditional and contemporary Christian songs are filled with Scripture and show us God’s everlasting love and never failing mercy and forgiveness. A wondrous revelation for me is reading a Scripture verse and then hearing the same verse in a song on the radio or a CD, or knowing the lyrics to a Christian song and then reading those same lyrics in a Bible verse. This connection between Scripture verses and music reveals to me how God’s Word surrounds us in our daily life and work as we open our hearts, minds, and ears to Him.  I feel so closely linked to the Father when music and the Bible come together in a song praising Him. It reminds me “ the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.”

Remember, “to sing, is to pray twice.” May you make a joyful noise unto the Lord.  He loves to hear you sing His praises!