February 24, 2006

[Rev. Doc]

Focused On Our Praise

"Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises."
Psalm 47:6

There was a woman who spent some months serving as a missionary in South Africa. On her final visit to a remote township she attended a medical clinic. As the Zulu women there began to sing together, she found herself deeply moved by their hauntingly beautiful harmonies.

She wanted to always remember this moment and try to share it with friends when she arrived home. With tears flowing down her cheeks, she turned to her friend and asked, "Can you please tell me the translation of the words to this song?"

Her friend looked at her and solemnly replied . . . "If you boil the water, you won't get dysentery."

How many times have we been guilty of the same thing in a worship service? We sing (and perhaps even being moved emotionally) without being aware of the meaning of the words we were singing. The melody may be beautiful, but it is the lyrics which give our songs meaning. Pay careful attention to what is being said.

Prayer: In Worship, ask God to speak to you through the music and praise.

"When God saw that many men were lazy, and gave themselves only with difficulty to spiritual reading, He wished to make it easy for them, and added the melody to the words, that all being rejoiced by the charm of the music, should sing hymns to Him with gladness."
~John Chrysostom