Singing is wonderful

 

Singing is wonderful. My son has had hearing difficulties all his life, but one of the many things we enjoyed when he was a toddler was his ability to sing. He would sit on the floor when he wasn’t being watched and sing tunes he had heard us sing and things he had picked up in church. We were amazed that despite his hearing loss, he could still sing in tune.

On my visits to Uganda, I am always greeted by village children who line up and sing a welcome song. Their rhythm and melodies are heartwarming and beautiful to listen to. This is happy music expressing words of greeting. Despite their obvious poverty, they have found hope. That hope is grounded in faith and anchored in a person - the Lord Jesus Christ. One of my favourite Bible verses that expresses the hope of the gospel is found in Romans chapter 15 verse 13 - ‘Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit’. This guarantees present joy and peace when a person believes what God has promised. 

In the verse, the person who is ‘believing’ has come to understand that their sin (wrong thinking and wrong behaviour - insignificant and major) puts them in debt to God, the Creator. The gospel states that God, through His Son, Jesus, made payment (by His death on the cross) to clear that debt. The Lord Jesus returned from the dead three days later to prove that there is life after death, the reality of eternal life in heaven, and that there is present peace for all who accept the gift of God’s forgiveness and salvation. At the end of this article, you will find some verses from the Bible to support these statements. Do you have the hope that my friends in Uganda have? You probably have a lot more things than they have, but do you have hope? 

One more thought about singing before I finish. Singing has always been a way of expressing deep emotions. The sad songs of an exiled and oppressed people have a haunting feel that communicates their pain. Some of these songs were historically called ‘negro spirituals’ but now are just called ‘spirituals’ or ‘African American Spirituals’. They express in plaintive tones the melancholy and wistful feelings of people who were suffering. Despite this, it is noteworthy that these ‘spirituals’ were astonishingly rich theologically. There was a depth and clarity in their understanding of what the Bible teaches. You would have imagined that their suffering would have sent them running from the Bible. Still, no, because they knew God personally, they understood that their cruel treatment was unacceptable to Him. As I close, let me list some of the themes of their songs. If you are interested, get a Bible or a Bible app and look them up. You will discover what gave many of them strength to survive. I pray that you too will be given strength for whatever storms you face in life.

Key themes in ‘Spirituals’

1. Redemption and Deliverance - God rescues His people - example of song - ‘Go Down Moses’ - see Exo. 3, Psalm 34:17, Luke 4:18, John 8:36
2. Suffering, lament and hope - honest about sorrow but confident in God - example of song - ‘Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen’- see Psalm 13, Rom. 8:18, 2 Cor. 4:8-10
3. Heaven, judgment and the Coming Glory - Hope for the future - example of song - ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’ - see John 14:1-3, Rev. 21:1-4, 1 Thess. 4:16-18
4. The presence of God in suffering - the deepest theme - God is with His people in the fire - example of song - ‘Sometimes I feel like a motherless child’ - see Psalm 23, Isa. 34:2, Matt. 28:20
5. The Lord Jesus as Saviour and Liberator - He is central, personal, and near - example of song - ‘I got a Saviour in the Kingdom’ - see Isa. 53, Luke 4:18, Heb. 4:15,16

Verses referred to:

Romans 3:23 - ‘For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard,’ NLT.

Romans 5:8 - ‘But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us,’ NKJV.

Romans 6:23 - ‘For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord,’ NLT.

Acts 13:38,39a - ‘Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin,’ NIV.

Romans 4:25 - ‘He (Jesus) was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God,’ NLT.