I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Psalm 104:33
The Psalmist wrote that when Israel went into captivity in Babylon, “There on the poplars we hung our harps” (Psalm 137:2). In other words, the music stopped, the song was ended, but when they returned to their land, the harps came down and the music started again.
You don’t have to have a harp to sing, or a beautiful accompaniment, but you do have to have a melody in your heart. But when the clouds roll in, and your world gets turned upside down, generally you don’t sing. You don’t even hum in the shower.
One of the most beautiful and picturesque castles in all the world is located at Neuschwanstein, in Bavaria, Germany. So beautiful is the castle there, that Walt Disney used this as a model for his fairy-tale castles. The story is told that King Ludwig III, the builder of the castle, once strung wires between a tower and the castle with the anticipation that the winds would cause music much as the strumming of a great guitar. The winds blew but not much happened. Then one night there was a terrible thunderstorm which swept through valley and up the hill towards the castle. Then it happened, much like a miracle. As the lightning danced on the wires that had been strung and the wind blew, there was an eerie symphony of light and sound. It was both strange and beautiful at the same time.
The fact is when you least feel like singing, God can bring a haunting and beautiful melody out of the darkness that has filled your life. Now, here’s the question that probably confronts you: “Should I sing even when I don’t feel like it?” Answering from personal experience, I would answer with a resounding, “Yes, even though you don’t feel like it.” Why? Through song you reconnect with God and your own emotions and feelings. You gradually realize that life is going to go on, and when it ceases, there will still be a melody in heaven.
Frequently the Bible urges us to sing. Jeremiah, who spent much of his time in either prison or dismal circumstances, urged, “Sing to the LORD! Give praise to the LORD! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked” (Jeremiah 20:13). Not only does God urge us to sing, He commands it. “Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make music to God on the harp” (Psalm 147:7).
Yes, I understand, you don’t feel like singing. I’m not really sure that Paul and Barnabas felt like it either after they had been beaten and thrown in prison, but sing they did, and the joy of heaven drove back the gloom.
Jailers don’t like singing, but they can’t always stop it. You can sing in your heart, you can tap on the floor and make melody, you can quietly rap out a melody with your fingers as you would a drum if you had one.
Singing is one of the spiritual keys to driving back the gloom and gaining victory in your heart. For centuries, soldiers have gone to war singing together. The Psalmist called them “songs of deliverance” (Psalm 32:7).
A closing thought. Instruments are tuned to middle A, which has 440 vibrations per second. Then all other strings or notes are tuned to harmonize with this. When God touches your heart and you let the Holy Spirit sound the Middle A in your life, it’s amazing how the rest of your circumstances begin to harmonize with what God is doing.
Friend, regain the song in the night of your life, and let the music just flow out of your heart and soul. No, don’t worry about how great you sound; worry if there is no sound. Music is the language of your soul—that which God invented. He understands it very well. Yes, there is singing in heaven too, so, get started today.
Resource reading: Psalm 147:1-20
