Praise God with a New Song

"He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God" (Psalm 40:3). The Bible often speaks of us singing a "new song" in praise to our God (Psalm 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1; Isaiah 42:10; Rev. 5:9; 14:3). I often tire of singing the same old songs over and over. Certainly there are some older songs that I treasure and will always love. Songs like "Abide with Me," "Nearer, Still Nearer," "Night with Ebon Pinion," and "I am a Wayfairing Stranger" will always be some of my favorites. But there is definitely something to be said about praising God with new words and new melodies. New words stimulate our minds to really sing with the "spirit and

understanding" (1 Cor. 14:15) instead of simply reciting words with little thought as to their meaning. New melodies stimulate our emotions as our hearts give way to the greatness of God and his relevance in our lives today.

Many of the older songs that we sing (let's really be honest), few of us know what we are singing. For example really listen to the words of a song we often sing in worship, "Drop thy still dews of quiteness, till all our strivings cease, take from our souls the stain and stress, and let our ordered lives confess, the beauty of thy peace." What?! We might as well sing in Latin. I'm not sure I can sing these words in good conscience, not knowing what I'm saying. Well, no wonder the song was written in 1872. When our worship services are filled with songs like this, most Christians between the ages of 18-45 become very discouraged. I can't blame them. We all desire to praise our God and let a meaningful message flow from our hearts up to God in worship. But in order to do this, we must know what we are singing, and be emotionally moved by it.

There are two great a capella CDs out called "praise and harmony" that are designed to teach new songs to congregations. You can listen to some of these songs for free from their website and purchase the CDs. I bought both of these recently at the Freed-Hardeman Lectureship and they are fantastic!