Yesterday my husband’s friend gave us a couple of “Straw-headed bulbul bird” These birds are species of the songbird. This morning, their beautiful chirp awakened me and made my morning more wonderful than before. The birds chirp merrily like a singer who joyfully welcomed a brightly new day. Through their melodious chirping I really felt God smile and greet His children who just wake up. I and my husband then took time for a moment to enjoy it and before take a morning prayer my husband asked me to sing a praise song “In Moment like This”. Talk a bit about birds, how do the birds can sing? Scientifically can be explained as follows, Birds have an organ called “Syrinx”, a bony structure at the bottom of the trachea. Syrinx is made up of membrane that can vibrate when air passes over the syrinx. Because of this birds can chirp, singing, whistling, and even talking. What is the function of the birds chirping? Naturally, the birds sing to attract their mate and also to defend their territory. I was thinking, what kind of song they sung? Whether about love? Joy, or about thanksgiving and glory to God who already take care and provide protection as written in Matthew 10:29? However, no matter how, whatever the functions and the songs, for me it is remind me how magnificent God created this universe. God made this universe full of lovely songs. Moreover, it is one of the wonderful graces from God. God put the songs in the bird’s heart, make them chirping beautifully. A bird is God’s fingerprint creation. God made the birds become a greatest singer.
My dear friends, if God put the songs in the bird’s heart. God did the same thing to us as a human. Let’s take a look at the book of Psalm.
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. (Psalm 40:3 NIV)
This verse is very clear said that God alone gives us inspiration; put the new song in our mouth to use for praise Him. As we love music/song, God also loves music. Music is one of the most beautiful God’s grace because I can’t even imagine how dreary and droughty this life without music. Furthermore, besides music can make our life more lives, we also can see that music has great power to bring people to know God, repented, and believe in Him. Until now I still could see that God touch someone amazingly through praise and worship songs.
There is so many God’s creation that we can enjoy; also there are so many His beautiful works that we can feel. So we ought to lift up our praise to God as our gratitude. The book of Psalm talk so much about the beauty of God’s creation and all His blessings, protection, and His love to us. And many times we are asked to sing to lift up our gratitude to God.
I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. (Psalm 104:33 NIV)
We are also invited to praise all of the God’s miraculous works,
Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. (Psalm 98:1 NIV)
Praise and worship to the Lord is the indispensable part of the Christians lives. Briefly, let’s look at the reasons why we should always praise and worship God.
- We praise to God because we are created to praise Him. The people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise. (Isaiah 43:21 NIV)
- Commanded to always lift up praise. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. (Psalm 150:6 NIV)
- We praise to God because the salvation that has given to us. That I may declare your praises in the gates of Daughter Zion, and there rejoice in your salvation. (Psalm 9:14 NIV).
- We have to praise him for His eternal love. Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. (Psalm 106:1 NIV)
- We praise to God because God enthroned on our praise. Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. (Psalm 22:3 NIV)
- We praise for He worthy. “You are worthy, our Lord and God,to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” (Revelation 4:11 NIV)
- We need to always praise the Lord for there is power in praise. May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands, to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, to bind their kings with fetters,their nobles with shackles of iron, to carry out the sentence written against them this is the glory of all his faithful people. Praise the Lord. (Psalm 149:6-9 NIV)
Whether we should have beautiful voice so our praise worth, accepted, and please God? I remembered when I was held a Christmas celebration with the orphans last year. There was a teen girl singing a Christmas song titled “Because of Bethlehem”. She didn’t have a beautiful voice like a professional singer but she was able touching my heart and many others so deep. Through her voice I can felt how wonderful and magnificent God’s love to us. My dear friends, if we refer to verse of Psalm 150:6, this verse didn’t say, “Let those who have beautiful and melodious voice praise the Lord” But the Psalmist said, “Let everything that has breath!” This means that God doesn’t look and assess how beautiful our voice. God is more seeing our sincerity in praising God. The Psalm 9:1a said: “I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart” also our praise not only came out from our mouth but rather from our heart. Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:19 NIV) When Paul and silas was in prison, they lifted up praise to the Lord. At the time, their condition was not ideal for singing and praising, even Paul might not an expert singer but He and Silas sang with all his heart, and surprisingly, the Lord came down on top of praises, and God pleased with their praise and He did great things. (Acts 16:25-27 NIV)
Moreover, beside we have to praise to God with all our heart, we have to praise God with all humility. Let God be exalted through our praise. God will not pleased if we praise God with pride because we feel has a beautiful voice. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”(Psalm 46:10 NIV) Also, God will be pleased with our praise if we have very close relationship with God. We have to always realize that near to God alone we always find rest. Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. (Psalm 62:1-2 NIV)
My beloved readers, have we praise to God this morning? Have we when wake up in the morning we spend our time for a moment to lift up praise to God as our gratitude for His wonderful blessings and grace that always new every morning? Or even otherwise, our mouths just filled with complaints and grumbles about the problems we have to face? Today, allow me to encourage all of us before we start our daily activities let’s take a moment to harmonize our hearts and minds for a moment with a beautiful melody that God has placed in His creation. Feel it, enjoy it and ponder the God’s greatness and blessing that has been poured to us. If the birds can sing in the morning, why we don’t do the same thing? Please remember, God not concerned about how well or bad our voice but God will look at our sincerity in praising Him. Our voice quality should not to be a hindrance to keep praise the Lord. We are not in the front of audience who want hear our beautiful voice but we are coming to The Lord, bow down praise and worship Him as an expression of our gratitude for His wonderful blessings, love, comfort, rest, strength, peace and joy that has given to us. Tomorrow the birds will sing again, do we want participate to glorify God through praise that we raise with sincerity, humility, with a very close relationship, and let God be exalted through our praise? Let’s start make our morning become a beautiful moment to lift up our hand to the Lord and praise:
In moments like these I sing out a song
I sing out a love song to Jesus
in moments like these I lift up my hands
I lift up my hands to the lord
singing I love you, lord
singing I love you, lord
singing I love you, lord
I love you
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
(Psalm 98:4 NIV)
Karina – Living by faith
Related post Psalm 98:1 by atimetoshare
Image source: Habitatnews.nus.edu.sg
“In Moment like this” composed by David Graham
Karina's Thought 