Category: Singing

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Hear Me When I Call…

This morning a friend of mine passed away.  He had lived a long life, but unfortunately had struggled much during these last few months and years.  Without a doubt this gentlemen was an inspiration to me, and not to me alone.  His faithful spirit and gentle demeanor served as an encouragement to all you had the privilege of knowing him.  When I heard of his passing this morning, I cried.  Not because I grieved for his soul, or was unsure of his relationship with God; the tears came because I wasn’t ready to say ‘good bye’.  There were still things I wanted to say to him and memories I wanted to share, but during the early hours on Sunday morning (March 25th), in the warm embrace of his family he slipped away to be with his Father.  Perhaps it’s fitting that he died on a Sunday morning…certainly in time to worship around the Father’s throne.

It’s never easy to say good bye to those you care about; whether it’s the end of a family vacation and everyone has headed home, or if it’s the passing of a loved one who held a special place in your heart.  I guess you’d say I’m a bit sentimental, so ‘Good Byes’ have never easy for me.  And because of my sentimental nature, there are some songs that mean more to me as we consider the message (the words).  A song tends to reach into my heart in a way that the spoken word can’t.  I don’t think it’s the melody alone, but the melody coupled with the words that impacts my emotions like nothing else.  My friend had a favorite songs that was written in the early 1960’s and (though I’ve only come to know it recently), it has since become one of my favorites as well.  Written by Tillit S. Teddlie in 1962, this old hymn is sung as we speak to God asking that He hear us during times of distress and sorrow.  Notice these four verses…

“Hear me when I call, O God, my righteousness;
Unto Thee I come in weakness and distress.
Hold my trembling hand, lest helpless I should fall;
O hear me, Lord, hear me, O hear me when I call.”

“Hear my cry, O God, attend unto my prayer;
More and more I need Thy mercy and Thy care.
Clouds of doubt arise and faith grows weak and small;
O hear me, Lord hear me, O hear me when I call.”

“Hear my voice, O God, and cleanse my soul within;
Mercy doth I need for all my doubts and sin.
Only in Thy grace I trust my all in all;
O hear me, Lord, hear me, O hear me when I call.”

“Hear my prayer, O God, I need Thy cleansing power;
Let me feel Thee near each moment of each hour.
Hold my trembling hand, lest helpless I should fall;
O hear me, Lord hear me, O hear me when I call.”

It’s important for me to take this time today and reflect on the impact and friendship I shared with a brother who has gone on.  His smile and kind heart will remain in my memory for years to come.  He has inspired me to be more like Christ; never looking out for his own interest, but always for the interest of others.  The book of this man’s life has come to a close and the final chapter has been written.  He will be missed here on earth, but I know we’ll meet again, because our God does indeed ‘hear us when we call.’  Fred Epps, thank you for the lessons in life that you taught me through your beautiful, Christian example.  And thank you for showing me the kindness of your heart.  You were a wonderful and dear friend!

“Lord hear me, O hear me, Please hear me when I call…”

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Here I am to Worship…Really?

Before we announce that we are coming to worship, perhaps we should first ask ourselves, “What is worship?”  By definition, worship is a mental or spiritual act, a sense of awe and reverence in the presence of the divine.  It is NOT an experience we have in the presence of God, but the act of offering God our best when we are IN His presence.

If we were to look closely at the Greek word for worship, we would find the word proskuneo.  It’s direct meaning is very clear as to what worship is…”throwing oneself on the ground to show respect and awe.”  On Sunday morning, when you meet with the saints and, ‘come to worship’, does it include respect, reverence and awe?  I’m afraid too often we cheapen  our understanding of that simple word ‘awe’ and fail to realize it’s a descriptive term that tells us about our creator.  Rather than holding that term solely for His description, we tell our friends that the movie we saw on Saturday night was ‘awesome’.  How can I compare the Maker of Heaven and earth to a 90 minute, Hollywood production.  Sing “Our God is an Awesome God” and find another description for that movie.

As you consider your personal worship time on Sunday morning or Sunday night…what is your mind thinking about?  How have you prepared yourself for this time in the presence of God.  I have heard many say that they ‘worship’ all the time.  The idea has been adopted to say we should consider our whole lives a worship to God.  Without a doubt, we need to humble ourselves every day and bow before Him with respect and awe.  But we need to understand that worship is an intentional action.  We must prepare ourselves for worship or we run the risk of just ‘going through the motions’.  Are we to ALWAYS have Christ in our lives?  Absolutely!  Paul admonishes us to ‘pray without ceasing’ (I Thessalonians 5:17), but does that mean we are praying all the time?  Of course there are times when we pray and times when our minds are not focused in prayer; but we must always have a prayerful heart.  In the same way, as we live our life in reverence to God, we also work within this worldly realm.  In the world, but not of the world.  Our lives reflect submission to 24/7 though we may not be ‘bowing in worship’.

Let me encourage you to consider this idea of worship by pointing out FOUR basic tenants of our worship.  Number One; worship is internal, it comes from the heart.  Can I worship externally?  Yes, but you cannot properly worship God externally without first worshiping Him internally.  Number Two; worship is intentional.  We can’t come to God and worship Him accidentally.  Remember God’s warning in Matthew 15, “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.”  What are you thinking about when you come to worship?  Number Three; worship is vertical.  Certainly, during our worship, we encourage the church family around us.  But our giving of praise to God can not be mistaken as self-satisfying.  “I Need Thee Every Hour” is a song that can only be sung to Him!  Number Four; (as noted earlier) worship is momentary.  Our lives are spent in momentary acts, and sense our worship is intentional, we must choose to spend time in worship.

Next time you ‘come to worship’, remember we are to worship in spirit and in truth.  Come before Him and worship in reverence and in awe.

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Verse by Verse…Hallelujah!

For almost 150 years we have been singing this hymn by William P. MacKay…

“We praise Thee, O God, for the Son of Thy love, for Jesus who died and is now gone above,  Hallelujah! Thine the glory, Hallelujah! Amen.  Hallelujah!  Thine the glory; Revive us again.”

I can honestly tell you that this is the first song I can remember hearing sung in church during my earliest years.  The chorus is one that rings in my mind and floats through the ages.  Let’s look at the remaining 4 verses and see the emphasis of the words in this hymn:

“We praise Thee, O God, for Thy Spirit of light, Who has shown us our Savior, and scattered our night…”  The Word of God tells us that Jesus is the light, and in Him is no darkness.  We sing this scripture through this verse…I John 1:5

“All glory and praise to the Lamb that was slain, Who has borne all our sins and has cleansed every stain…”  Nothing is more important for us to sing about, admonish each other with and remind the listener with.  Christ has washed away our sins when we were baptized for the forgiveness of our sins.

“All glory and praise to the God of all grace, Who has bought us and sought us and guided our ways…”  Have you thought about that before?  Christ came to this earth (sought us) and died on the cross for our sins (bought us) and rose from the dead to guide us back to God.  Question is, are we following?

“Revive us again, fill each heart with Thy love.  May each soul be rekindled with fire from above…”  Each of these verses have a specific message and a clear admonish to us.  But they need the glue from the refrain to transition our thoughts and solidify our resolve:

“Hallelujah!  Thine the glory.  Hallelujah! AMEN!  Hallelujah!  Thine the glory.  Revive us again.”  We must never forget the price that was paid (vs. 1 & 3), the security we have in ‘the Light’ (vs. 2), the praise for salvation (vs. 4), and the reminder to come back and hold fast to His love (vs. 5).  “Hallelujah!  Thine (to God be…) the Glory!”

 

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A Psalm, a Hymn or a Spiritual Song?

Is there a difference between singing a psalm or singing a hymn?  If I’m singing a spiritual song how is that different (is that different) from singing a psalm?  Both Ephesians 5, and Colossians 3 use similar wording when talking about these three terms; “…speaking to (teaching and admonishing) one another in (with) psalms, and hymns and spiritual songs…”  The apostle Paul authored these letters to the churches in Ephesus and Colossae, and based on Acts 16:25, he was no stranger to singing.  But what exactly is the difference between a psalm or a hymn or a spiritual song?  Do theses words mean the same thing?  A deeper look into these three (different) forms of singing praise to God and singing encouragement to the faithful might give us a better understanding of what we are doing when we sing.

Though admittedly, there is some gray area in the exact interpretation of these three words, a basic idea can be found for a quick understanding of these terms by evaluating each on it’s own merit.

A Psalm (for all practical purposes) would be a song that is based on scripture.  The Psalms would obviously be our first thought in answering the question, ‘What is a psalm?’.  But the following could be classified as a psalm as well: ‘a song of praise or edification that can be found in part or in whole in the word of God.’  It is clear when we sing, the 23rd Psalm… “The Lord’s my shepherd I’ll not want, He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.  He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name sake.  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and staff, they comfort me.  You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows.  Surely goodness and lovingness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  You know the song… “The Lord’s my shepherd I’ll not want: He makes me down to lie, In pastures green, He leadeth me in pastures green He leadeth me the quiet waters by.”  But do you know this ‘contemporary’ song from Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ nevertheless I live, but not I, but Christ lives in me; and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  So a ‘Psalm’ is song we sing almost directly from scripture.

Personally, the hymn is my favorite of the ‘songs’ when compared to the other three song definitions.  To understand the definition of a hymn, I have found it is easiest to relate this simple analogy;  ‘A hymn is a song that is sung to HIM’.  Many examples are available, but one of my favorites is a sung written by Annie Hawks in 1872…“I need Thee every hour, most precious Lord; No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.  I need Thee, O I need Thee; every hour I need Thee!  O bless me now, my Savior; I come to Thee!”  No one can refute the fact that this song (hymn) is directed to HIM.

A Spiritual Song is more basic in that it can encompass anything that is Biblical (spiritual) in nature.  If I sing a song that comes from God’s word or is contemplating Godliness, it could be classified as a spiritual song.  An example might be “Walking Alone at Eve”.  Consider the chorus to this ‘spiritual song’; “O! for a home with God, a place in His courts to rest, sure in a safe abode with Jesus and the blest (Biblical in thought); Rest for a weary soul once redeemed by the Savior’s love, where I’ll be pure in whole and live with my God above.”

Next time you stand with the saints to sing praises, or sit alone and singing a song of prayer, ask yourself; “Are we (Am I) singing a Psalm, a Hymn or a Spiritual Song?”

 

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A Song from Sadness

Horatio Spafford was a very successful business man.  His understanding and expertise in real estate and law had set him high above most men in his day.  That was until October, 1871.  On Sunday, October 8th, in the early morning hours, the city of Chicago, Illinois began to burn.  When the flames were finally dosed and the embers began to cool; Horatio Spafford had lost almost all of this wealth.  What made his loss even more difficult was that he had just previously lost his only son at the age of four.  His physician and friend encourage him to get away with his family and spend some days in Europe.  He agreed, but before he could leave, he was called away for some last minute re-zoning issues caused by the Chicago fire.

Horatio sent his wife and four daughters ahead and assured them he would follow shortly.  However, after a week sailing the Atlantic, their vessel, the SS Ville de Havre, struck another ship and sank in just a short time.  Over 200 of her passengers perished in the accident, only 60 had survived.  Once the survivors arrived in Wales, Anna Spafford (Horatio’s wife) sent him this cable; “Saved alone…what shall I do?”  All four of his daughters were lost to the icy Atlantic.  As he rushed to his wife’s side, the ship he sailed on passed near the site of the earlier collision, and Spafford wrote the following words;

“When peace like a river attendth my way, when sorrows like sea billows role.  Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say…’It is well with my soul.’ “

You have most likely sang three of the verses to this song which was originally named, ‘Ville de Havre’ after the doomed vessel.  But Horatio Spafford eventually wrote 5 more verses.  Remembering this terrific lose, you can see his exceptional faith in the words of this hymn written in 1873.  Notice these words and see the faith and trust in this man;

“Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul.”

“My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!”

“For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll, no pang shall be mine, for in death as in life, Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.”

“But Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, the sky, not the grave, is our goal; Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord! Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.”

In difficult times we reach out for comfort.  Thanks to this man of old for encouraging us to stay close and hold fast to the faith we have in our God.  The closing verse and chorus I’m sure you well know…

“And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul.  It is well, with my soul…it is well, it is well with my soul!”

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Singers…Good or Not?

When it comes to singing in the Lord’s church, who judges whether someone is a good singer or not?  Should I determine if one voice is better than another?  In February 2000, over 13 years ago, Dan Jenkins wrote an article for the Gospel Advocate that addressed this very topic.  Let’s review some of his timely thoughts on this subject from years gone by…

“I keep hearing some people say that we can really improve our singing in worship if we use microphones to amplify the voices of the best singers in the congregation.  Although at first this might sound like a good idea, everyone should be aware that in (many congregations) this practice has lead to (these ‘singers’ moving to the front row, and then eventually standing up front).  We often are blind(ed by seemly good ideas) when we start down roads that seem innocent.

However, I have been thinking about who the ‘best singers’ are in the church.  I know how we are using the term, but is it possible that God’s view of the best singers might be far different from ours?  Could the following people be ‘the best singers?’

Sitting in the assembly is a lonely widow.  The years have not been kind to her voice, and it often cracks as she sings.  She has served the Lord faithfully for many years.  For more than 40 years she has taught small children in Bible class, and she has seen many of them become leaders in the church.  Her late husband had been a faithful elder who served even better because of her being a godly helpmeet.  She had lifted his burdened spirit (on many occasions).  Listen to her sing – “To Christ be loyal and be true, in noble service prove…”  The melody that comes from her heart (which is important to God) must make her one of the best singers in the church.

In another part of the same auditorium a teenager sits.  He did not grow up in the church and failed music in school.  He comes from a broken home, but OH, how deep his faith is!  He has given up former ungodly friends and stands against the peer pressure that surrounds him.  You may not like (all of his) ‘sour notes,’ but the melody from his soul is so encouraging (to those who ‘listen’) – “O my God, I trust in Thee.  Let me not be ashamed, let not my enemies triumph over me…”  Is he one of the best singers?

Who else is there?  (Look toward the back of the auditorium and perhaps you’ll see) the wife of an alcoholic husband who is doing all he can to destroy her faith and that of her children.  Listen to her (sing), “Be not dismayed what e’er betide, God will take care of you.”  Those who sing off-key and (seem to be singing) monotone may be our best singers!  Maybe we should take another look at what we are doing (before we had out the mikes and decide if the singers in the Lord’s church are good or not).”

Thanks to Dan Jenkins for his encouragement and reminder that our songs must first and foremost be for the glory of God…and then for edification of the saints.

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Whose Side Are You On?

choosing sidesDo you remember, as a kid, being on the playground or in the park with your friends and choosing up sides?  I  remember my friends and I on the baseball diamond, putting together our teams.  The ‘captain’ (often self-appointed) would stepped in front of the line of eager athletes and begin his draft.  Each of us would eagerly wait for our names to be called to see whose team you would be on.  Without question, we all wanted to be on the winning side.  A captain who knew what to do would chose the fastest, strongest, and smartest players to be ‘on his side’.  I can even recall after a win saying, “If we didn’t have ____________ on our side, we would have lost.”  It’s important to put strong people around you, but how much more important is it to have the right captain?  Someone who knows how and what to do to win…

King David understood this principle and wrote about it in the 124th Psalm; “Had it not been the Lord who was on our side…”  The next eight verses need to be remembered, reread and reviewed again and again in our lives.

vs 1-5 “Had it not been the Lord who was on our side, Let Israel now say,
Had it not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us,
Then they would have swallowed us alive, when their anger was kindled against us;
Then the waters would have engulfed us, the stream would have swept over our soul;
Then the raging waters would have swept over our soul.”

vs 6-8“Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us to be torn by their teeth.
Our soul has escaped as a bird out of the snare of the trapper; the snare is broken and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”

Debbie Dorman took this Psalm in 1998, added a musical score and, with the beauty of a melody, reminds us that God is our salvation.

“Had it not been the Lord who was on our side, had it not been the Lord who was on our side, the anger of the enemy would have swallowed us alive, Had it not been the Lord who was on our side.  Blessed be the Lord who would not give us up; Blessed be the Lord for His unfailing love; the snare has been broken and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, blessed be the Lord.”

I want to be on God’s side, but that means I need to stay on His side.  We have a choice to either be with God or not.  He doesn’t make us stay, it’s our decision.  But remember, He is our captain and, if we obey and follow His Word, we win.  The enemy can’t destroy us or take us down.  Today you need to ask yourself, ‘Whose side am I on?”
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Peace…Be Still!

The storm was relentless in it’s attack upon the small boat, and the sailors fought desperately to keep her afloat. As the waves beat upon the vessel and the sea began to pour over the side some of the men began to fear for their lives. All seemed to be lost as the storm and the night began to swallow their hope. In final despair they turned to the only passenger who seemed unaware of the impending doom. As He slept in the stern of the boat on a small pillow, they called out, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”

You most likely recognize this account from Luke 8 and Mark 5. The disciples of Christ feared for their lives as they crossed the Sea of Galilee. In 1874, Mary Baker captured this Biblical account in her hymn, “Master the Tempest is Raging”. Read Luke 8:22-25 and compare the text with this old song…

“Master the tempest is raging! The billows are tossing high! The sky is o’er shadowed with blackness, no shelter or help is nigh. ‘Carest Thou not that we perish?’ How canst Thou lie asleep, when each moment so madly is threatening a grave in the angry deep?”

We can see the parallel in the hymn with the text, but look at verse 2 and 3…peace be still
“Master with anguish of spirit I bow in my grief today; the depths of my sad heart are troubled; O waken and save, I pray! Torrents of sin and of anguish sweep o’er my sinking soul; and I perish! I perish dear Master, O hasten, and take control.” The comparison of a life sinking without Christ is seen in similar despair as the 12 disciples fighting the storm on the Sea of Galilee. Now take a look at the transition into verse 3…when Christ calms our storms.

“Master, the terror is over, the elements sweetly rest; Earth’s sun in the calm lake is mirrored and heaven’s within my breast. Linger, O blessed Redeemer, leave me alone no more; and with joy I shall make the blest harbor and rest on the blissful shore.”

This hymn is a great encouragement to me, but without the chorus, we fail to see the application from the storm that rages, to the peace that Christ brings. Notice the chorus and see if you can see the same security I have seen with Christ in control.

“The winds and the waves shall obey Thy will; ‘Peace, be still!  Peace, be still!’ Whether the wrath of the storm tossed sea, or demons, or men, or whatever it be. No water can swallow the ship where lies the Master of ocean and earth and skies. They all shall sweetly obey Thy will; ‘Peace, be still! Peace, be still!’ They all shall sweetly obey Thy will; ‘Peace, Peace, be still!’

In case you missed it…regardless of the storms; whether they be physical, spiritual, emotional, WHATEVER. None of these problems can take you down (sink your ship) as long as Christ is in you! There may be times you’re wondering if He cares; does He realize what I’m going through? This storm is rough. Rest assured, He knows and He cares. But if I’m not faithful to Him, He asks the same question he asked some 2000 years ago, “Where is your faith?” I guess the question we have to ask ourselves; is the Master of ocean and earth and skies inside my ship? If He is then take courage, be faithful to Him and realize He can calm the storm. Peace, Be Still!

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Biblical Songs

What makes one of the songs we sing on Sunday morning characterized as a Biblical song as opposed to one that would be considered un-Biblical (or as some have defined, a problem song)?  Is there some criteria or some sort of a ‘scale’ that we can use to determine our song choice?  Whether we like it or not, we need to be more diligent in sincerely thinking about what we’re singing and why we’re singing it.  Without debate a Biblical song/hymn would be one that can be found and supported through God’s word.  Let’s consider two songs that come almost entirely from scripture:

“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever, I will sing, I will sing.
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever, I will sing of the mercies of the Lord.
And with my mouth will I make know Thy faithfulness, Thy faithfulness.
And with my mouth will I make know Thy faithfulness to all generations.”

Psalms 89:1 reads: “I will sing of the lovingness of the Lord forever, To all generations I will make know Your faithfulness with my mouth.” (NAS)

This song was written by James Filmore at the turn of the century, but it didn’t find it’s popularity in church music until the 1960’s.  In 1983, the chorus became a regular addition in some of our hymnals.  Scripture based hymns can be found in surplus in many of the traditional and contemporary hymns. One of our long time favorites is, again, almost a direct quote, from the book of Psalms.

Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah
“Hallelujah, praise Jehovah! From the heavens praise His name; Praise Jehovah in the highest; all His angels praise proclaim. All His host together praise Him, sun and moon and stars on high; Praise Him, O ye heavens of heavens, and ye floods above the sky.”

“Praise the Lord!  Praise the Lord from the heavens, Praise Him in the heights!  Praise Him all His angels; Praise Him, all His host!  Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light! Praise Him, heights heavens, and the waters that are above the heavens!” Psalm 148:1-4

This is only the first verse of a popular hymn written in 1893 by William J. Kirkpatrick. But as you investigate the Biblical accuracy of the hymn, you’ll find the 2nd and 3rd verses hold true to the words of Psalm 148: 5-12 with vs. 13 reserved for the chorus. “Let them praise the name of Lord, for His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven.” My hope and prayer is that you will continue to search out songs that are Biblical and sound when it comes to singing songs to God our Father. A song that is accurately supported through God’s word will draw us closer to Him as we give to Him our praise!

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What Are We Singing?

Singing is an important part of our worship.  However, do you know that some of our songs are clearly at odds with God’s word?  Unfortunately there are a few songs that we’ll sing on any given Sunday (or Wednesday) that come from a worldly view of who God is and what God expects.  When the world influences our singing, it should come as no surprise that we will have songs that contain errors.  Though some of our newer songs (contemporary songs) are uplifting and inspirational, we should be careful what we’re singing.  I would encourage each of us to test each song (traditional or contemporary) and determine it’s Biblical accuracy… otherwise we run the risk of ‘singing without thinking’.

Consider these three questions as you look at hymns:

  1. Do I think about the words of the song or am I ‘caught up in the music?’

  2. If is a song is counter to God’s word, how will I know for sure?

  3. Will I eliminate an ‘un-Biblical song’ from my selection, or accept it as poetic license?

Song leaders…we have an obligation to properly prepare and diligently examine the songs we lead in the Lord’s church.  A preacher worth his salt will spend countless hours preparing for Sunday’s sermons; how much time will you give to preparing for Sunday’s song service?  Perhaps thirty minutes before worship is not only insufficient time-wise… it’s careless preparation too!  The ‘Singing with the Spirit’ Seminar talks in more detail about this scenario.  If you’re interested in learning more about song leaders and their song selection, let me know.  Together we’ll take a look at… What Shall We Sing