Singing into the hard days

It was time for battle. The Lord had already revealed it would be a hard and scary day. Praying together, God’s people prepared for battle by remembering who He is and asking Him for help. 

God encouraged them not to be afraid and that they wouldn’t even need to fight. As He’d already planned and purposed it, that’s precisely what happened, of course!

There are so many beautiful ponderings from this battle story, but my favorite part is that God’s appointed front-line warriors were…

Singers!

Walking before the army, they were to…

sing to the LORD and praise him…give thanks to the LORD, for his steadfast love endures forever (2 Chron. 20:21 ESV). 

You may not label yourself as a “singer,” but we all have a voice our God has given us to sing praise and thanksgiving to Him. I know you’re in the thick of raging battles, as I am. So, let’s endure our current tribulation BY singing into the hard days!

Singing praise to our Lord of hosts and Lord of love!

His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses (Rev. 19:12-14 ESV).

Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah (Ps. 24:10 ESV).

The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah (Ps. 46:7 ESV).

Let me, all Thy love accepting,
Love Thee, ever all my days;
Let me seek Thy kingdom only,
And my life be to Thy praise;
Thou alone shalt be my glory,
Nothing in the world I see;
Thou hast cleansed and sanctified me,
Thou Thyself hast set me free.

(“Here is Love, Vast as the Ocean,” Rees, W., p. d.)

Singing praise to God for His unchanging character

Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength (Ps. 29:1 ESV).

The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever (Ps. 29:10 ESV).

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (Jn. 1:1-5 ESV).

Here is love, vast as the ocean,
Loving-kindness as the flood,
When the Prince of Life, our Ransom,
Shed for us His precious blood.
Who His love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing His praise?
He can never be forgotten,
Throughout heav’n’s eternal days.

Praising God for our sure hope, the end of the fight

Through [Christ] we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God (Rom. 5:2 ESV).

If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied (1 Cor. 15:19 ESV).

In hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began (Titus 1:2 ESV).

On the mount of crucifixion,
Fountains opened deep and wide;
Through the floodgates of God’s mercy
Flowed a vast and gracious tide.
Grace and love, like mighty rivers,
Poured incessant from above,
And heaven’s peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love.

Praising God that we safely belong to Jesus!

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him (Rom. 8:16-17 ESV).

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Ps. 27:1 ESV).

And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the LORD (Ps. 27:6 ESV). 

Singing with trusting faith, into the fight

Make haste to help me, O LORD, my salvation! (Ps. 38:22 ESV)

In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety (Ps. 4:8 ESV).

to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials (1 Pet. 1:4-6 ESV).

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Pet. 1:8-9 ESV).

In Thy truth Thou dost direct me
By Thy Spirit through Thy Word;
And Thy grace my need is meeting,
As I trust in Thee, my Lord.
Of Thy fullness Thou art pouring
Thy great love and pow’r on me,
Without measure, full and boundless,
Drawing out my heart to Thee.

Lord of Hosts and Lord of love, we sing to You into the fight of these hard days. We battle but with Your grace, power, presence, and hope. As Your beloved ones read this, please sustain each one by singing Your praise into the hard days, the battle days, trusting You for each hour ahead. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, amen. 

Resources for singing into the hard days

Sister in Christ, I’m battling right along with you, again experiencing hard days of serious illness and its losses. I wonder if God’s instruction to sing praise to Him is His gift of grace as a powerfully healing and victorious way for us as we suffer. I’m on the hunt for singable songs that echo Scripture itself, so we can hide His Word in our hearts, into the fight, with offensive wielding of the sword of the Spirit.

Could we become those front-line singers in today’s suffering? Could our songs become Ephesians 6 armor tools, keeping us from hardened hearts as we suffer?

This week’s music therapy-inspired worship music playlist, with lyrics to sing aloud, is for us to use in personal worship as we fight the many battles suffering brings to our thoughts. It follows the themes of this week’s writing. l’ll be using it during my hard treatment times, which have become God’s latest beautiful times of worship and praise. If you’d like to join me, see resources below, crafted in love.