September 29
2013
The Song of the Lord…..
Then Hezekiah commanded them to offer the burnt offering on the alter. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord also began, with the trumpet and with the instruments of David king of Israel. So all the assembly worshipped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.
2 Chronicles 29:27-28
I read this passage one morning recently as I was doing my devotions – one of those passages that jumped out and shouted HIGHLIGHT ME! When I re read it, it moved deep into my spirit. And what I heard was:
“When there is sacrifice in your life, there is a song that bursts forth – not any song, but a song of the Lord!”
This passage continues to come back to mind and heart day after day. And as I have allowed it to sit in my spirit and have meditated upon it, the Lord has taught me a wonderful lesson.
The Christian walk is not a walk of ease and comfort. Our ultimate goal is to become more and more like Jesus. Love unconditional, servanthood and death to self for the salvation of others. The Lord works in our lives to mature and grow us and to cause us to lean more and more heavily on Him and less on our own understanding and our own self sufficiency. He wishes for us to walk in relationship with Him ALL THE TIME, not just when we have time to pencil Him in here and there and only in areas where we are willing to give Him SOME control.
In my life, the Lord grows me in many ways – He teaches me patience through trying circumstances; He teaches me compassion and grace in hurtful or painful circumstances; He teaches me to lean on Him in circumstances in which I have no control.
Many of the circumstances in life feel like a sacrifice – a giving up of something – perhaps a bad habit, perhaps a few choice words I would have liked to share with someone, perhaps something like my time, or my finances or even sometimes my physical and emotional health.
Sometimes in times of sacrifice, I, like the Psalmist David, cry out “How Long O Lord? Will you forget me forever?” Psalm 13:1
This has been the cry of my heart of late. But He always sends a Word – through His Word, through His people or even in a soft whisper into my spirit. And this time the Word was: “When there is sacrifice in your life, there is a song that bursts forth – not any song, but a song of the Lord!”
I’m not a singer but I’m a dancer…….and in times of sacrifice, I was reminded, the Lord is building a new dance within my spirit – one that will come forth in time and will be used for His glory and for the uplifting of His people.
The verse above says that the song and worship continued until the burnt offering (or sacrifice) was completed. And so I trust that the Lord will continue to build that dance within my spirit, even though the sacrifice seems long and difficult.
At the end of David’s Psalm, after he pours out his heart and sorrow before the Lord, he says
“But I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.”
Psalm 13: 5-6
So not only do we sing because the Lord is birthing a new song within us; we sing because at the end of the day the Lord is merciful, no matter what our circumstances.
Open your mouth and lift up your voice towards the Heavens today and be amazed at the Song the Lord has placed within you and the dance that will flow forth – like “rivers of living water.” John 7:38