Thankful, Day Three

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

it is He who has made us and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name!

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting;

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

Today is Sunday, and I'm going to church! I've been going to church on Sunday mornings for about 35 years now, ever since I was a kid. In fact, I could probably count on one hand the number of Sunday mornings I have ever missed. And let's not even talk about Sunday nights and Wednesdays (and any other time the church doors were open). Once the folks got saved, there just didn't seem to be any other option. We went to church.

An important part of going to church is singing. I love to sing. Always have, always will. And today is one of those occasions on which I am supposed to play the piano and lead the congregation in singing. It is something else that I love to do. What is going to be a little challenging today is leading with my chest and voice in the shape they are in. But I'm going to sing anyway. Just like I did last night at the Feast of Carols, in which we were asked to participate in some of the singing. As I've heard some folks say, "I have a beautiful voice, I just tear it up getting it out!" True today.

And the best part of going to church is worshiping corporately with God's people in God's presence. I know God goes to church, because Jesus said, "Where two or three are gathered in My Name, there I am also in the midst of them." And the Psalmist wrote that God inhabits and is enthroned in the praises of His people. I look forward to being in the presence of God, to experiencing the presence of God. This is not a cold, dead prophet, or an indifferent far-off deity that we serve. This is a real God that we serve (Okay, now I'm preaching instead of blogging about thanks...)

I'm thankful today for beautiful music, for music touches the heart, stirs the soul, ministering in harmonies and melodies in many deep and personal ways. I know that God loves music, because in heaven there is lots of it going on. The angels always worship the Lord with harp and song. The vivid imagery of the Revelation is one of constant praise and worship being offered before the throne of God, and one day I will join that matchless throng to sing the praises of the King of the Ages (I'm also waxing poetic...)

I'm thankful today for the testimony that song allows me to give, because I can sing of the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! I can sing about all that God has done for me, all that God has brought me through, all that God has delivered me from. I can sing about His forgiveness and His amazing grace. I can sing about His wondrous love and His tender mercies. I can sing about His power and His presence. I can sing about what I used to be, but thank God I'm longer that. I can sing about what I'm going to be, because I serve a God who is daily working to transform me into His image and likeness. And most of all, I can sing about Jesus, who gave His life for me.

I'm thankful today for the ability to sing: not the talent of singing, but the ABILITY to sing. I have breath in my lungs, vocal chords that vibrate, a working instrument to sound it all out. I thank the Lord for the ability to speak, to sing, to shout, to proclaim the high praises of God with my mouth! Like the Psalmist, I too will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever, and with my mouth will I make known His faithfulness to all generations!

Thank you Lord for music!