I grew up in a family, both immediate and extended, that loves to sing. We had it all covered–soprano, alto, tenor and bass–and the harmony to bring it all together! Since we loved to sing, I also grew up in the church choir. I still love to sing! You won’t find me making any recordings, that’s for sure, but singing with a bunch of other people just brings me joy.
David loved to sing, too…
“Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies” (Psalm 103:2-4).
Jesus’s death and resurrection brings a whole new meaning to those verses. We have a new level of understanding of the depth of God’s love for us, and the lengths He is willing to go to for us! When you think about where He has brought you from and where He is taking you, don’t you just want to sing?? Old Testament sacrifices were described as having a pleasing aroma to God, and Paul writes about offering a “sacrifice of praise to God” (Hebrews 13:15). Our praise is pleasing to Him!
Now I’ll tell you why I chose this picture of wildflowers. I saw a patch growing a bit off the road, and pulled the van over to get a closer look. As I opened the van door, I was greeted by a beautiful aroma. Now, I’m not known for having a very keen sense of smell, but there was no mistaking this! It was not from the nearby fast food place or the pub theater…it was definitely coming from those flowers! One lonely plant would never have made that impression on me, because the aroma would not have been strong enough to smell (not for me, anyway!). But a patch full of them…wow!
Now think of this…individually, our sacrifice of praise is pleasing to God, no matter our musical ability. He hears the song of our hearts. When we worship Him in song, we join with all of creation, with believers all over the earth, and with the angels in heaven. He is not bound by space or time, and hears it all. What a mighty chorus, and what a pleasing aroma!
Come join in!
Lauri Hawley 