God rejoices over you with singing

May 2, 2022 (Monday)

 

In the Bible, angels never sing. They only speak. This does not mean they do not (or cannot) sing. Singing seems to be reserved as a special connection between humans and God. In fact, God sings over you. Let’s take a quick tour of this encouragement.

 

Zephaniah 3:17 shares one picture, “The Lord your God is in your midst—a warrior bringing victory. He will create calm with his love; he will rejoice over you with singing.” [CEB] Here is the strength of a victorious soldier who will calm us with His love and rejoice over us with singing. Next time you feel like you are in a battle, remember that the battle is not yours. God fights for you, and despite the depression and terror we may face, He promises to comfort us with His love. Calm yourself and listen as God sings over you. 

 

During her time in a Nazi concentration camp, Corrie Ten Boom claimed Psalm 32:7, “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” [NIV] Talk about faith in the midst of very bad circumstances. How do we discipline ourselves to shut out the noise and listen for the songs? I don’t understand the theology that would suggest a believer is exempt from trouble. I do understand God’s promise to be with us in the fire of trouble. In this verse, it is not necessarily God who is singing. However, this Psalm is about what God is doing (removing guilt of sin, instructing, counseling, keeping an eye on, etc.).

 

Unfortunately, for me, the only time I "stop thinking" is when I’m asleep. Even then, I struggle with the battle. The Psalmist acknowledges the tumult of life but then teaches, "But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life." [Psalm 42:8 NLT] I wonder if, when my mind stops listening to the noise of life, I can sing His songs and truly talk to God on a level beyond what my struggling conscious mind can achieve.

 

In the heated debate between Job and his three "comforters," in steps a brash young man named Elihu. When all is over, Elihu is not reprimanded by God. I also notice, Elihu begins, but God shows up and finishes the argument. I take this to mean that he spoke wisely. His statement resonates, "But none says, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night." [Job 35:10 ESV]

 

In the Bible, darkness is a symbol of evil. It is the place of Satan. The night is an image of terror, pain, and confusion. Yet it is here in those dark places when we are to hear God who "gives songs in the night." I believe this translates over to our time of sleep. It’s necessary for us to go through the night. It’s here when our conscious mind gives up its death grip on the noise. It is here that we slow down enough for the soul to listen.

 

When this happens, we can hear God singing and rejoicing over us. We hear those songs of deliverance we so desperately need. We absorbed, on a different level, God’s unfailing love, recharging us in song (and we respond in song). It is here that we set aside the trauma of life and receive God’s songs for our life, in the moment we find ourselves.

 

“Whenever I feel my foot slipping, your faithful love steadies me, Lord. When my anxieties multiply, your comforting calms me down.” [Psalm 94:18 – 19 CEB]