Let people hear how good the Lord has been to you in your life by the song your life sings!

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He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the LORD. -- Psalm 40: 3 (NLT)

Growing up I always had an eclectic taste in music. A little of this and a little of that but I have always loved the blues. There was something haunting about the sound of the guitar and the woeful yet soulful lyrics that drew me in. Perhaps it was because I related my life so readily to the sorry state of affairs in most blues melodies. Art often does imitate life after all. This world will give you plenty to be "blue" about beloved. Until I came to the saving grace of Jesus Christ my life was one blues riff after another! But then God!

Our key verse illustrates the change we experience when saved by using musical imagery. David as we know was very musical. Within this one small verse are several truths for us to internalize today -- to grow closer to God and to appreciate better all He has and continues to do for us. The first truth is that there needs to be a change in the song our lives sing after we have been saved. What does that mean? That means that once we have been saved by God there should be a change in our focus. Prior to salvation I know that I focused constantly on my problems. Constantly on what I felt I did not have. I also had no problem sharing my frustrations or disappointments with others. Misery after all loves company. And the temptation once saved is to continue the old habits. To continue to love the company of misery. Old habits are after all, hard to break. But David teaches us here that there should be a new song in our hearts that we should be singing. A hymn of praise to our God!

By praising God we accomplish a few things. First of all, we keep the focus of our life on the problem solver instead of the problem. The enemy wants us focusing on ourselves and our problems. He magnifies them for us in our minds and what David is saying here is we must choose to magnify the Lord. If our problems become magnified then they will appear bigger then our God. If we choose to magnify God, then He will appear bigger than our problems. This was never more evident than in the Book of Numbers when the Israelites were finally on the border of the Promised Land. The Israelites were already saved by God from slavery in Egypt just like we have been saved out of the slavery of sin. God had a land of promise waiting for them just like He does for us as well. So, 12 scouts are sent out to search the land. Ten of them returned with the same old song on their lips:

And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them." -- Numbers 13: 32-33 (NIV)

Note the end of this verse -- "we seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes!" When you magnify your problems instead of God you will begin to reduce in your own eyes. You become insignificant compared to your problems. You diminish. They talked about the land. They talked about the giants. They talked about their fears. What was missing from their report? God. But the other two -- Joshua and Caleb -- they had a different view. They sang a new song:

Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them." -- Numbers 14: 6-9 (NIV)

The Lord -- The Lord -- The Lord. That was the new song. A hymn of praise to God. Joshua and Caleb focused on the God they served not the apparent size of the giant in front of them. Even when David was still but a shepherd boy he understood the power of singing a new song -- even as the King of Israel did not:

"Don't worry about this Philistine," David told Saul. "I'll go fight him!" "Don't be ridiculous!" Saul replied. "There's no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You're only a boy, and he's been a man of war since his youth."   But David persisted. "I have been taking care of my father's sheep and goats," he said. "When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The LORD who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!" -- 1Samuel 17: 33-37 (NLT)

King Saul and all the fighting men of Israel were cowering in fear before the nine foot tall Goliath. David said -- The Lord -- The Lord -- The Lord. His new song focused on praise to God not how big his problems looked. He magnified the Lord and his problems shrunk before Him. That is the first lesson to consider today. What message are we sending the world with the songs our lives sing? We are saved by the blood of the Lamb and are living the eternal life now but is our song still singing the blues? What do we focus on? The fact that we serve the creator of everything in existence or the petty giants before us? Do we magnify the fact that the God who spoke the universe into existence has said He is working all things out for our good or do we magnify the pitiful giants the enemy shows us standing in the way of the land God has promised to us? Even if we love the misery we need to magnify God and sing a new song because of the second truth from the key verses. People will be watching.

David says it plainly for us -- many will see what He has done and be amazed. I know it is hard to worry about other people because we live in such a me-centric society but once we are saved our lives are no longer about us. One of the fundamental problems in American Christianity today is that too often people try to fit Christ into their lives instead of making their lives about Christ. The problem with the former is that you are still the focal point of your life. Your wants and needs. Your shortcomings and foibles. Your insecurities and fear of giants. God is not magnified in that life; there is no new song. But when your life becomes about Christ then you unleash His power in your life. You begin to see things from an eternal perspective. Let's take a look at the perspective of Peter. Peter walked directly with Jesus for his entire three year ministry. Despite this, the Peter in the Gospels is radically different then the Peter in the Book of Acts. What turned the man who would deny even knowing Christ three times into the man who demanded to be crucified upside down because he did not feel worthy enough to die like his Lord? Perspective. Here was Peter trying to fit Christ into his life:

From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead. But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. "Heaven forbid, Lord," he said. "This will never happen to you!" Jesus turned to Peter and said, "Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's." -- Matthew 16: 21-23 (NLT)

Peter had his own version of what the Messiah was going to do. In Peter's mind the Messiah was going to deliver the Jewish people from the oppression of Rome. Jesus however came to deliver mankind from the oppression of sin. When Jesus starts explaining the plan of God Peter simply didn't like it because it did not fit into what he thought he wanted. Later on when Jesus was arrested, Peter would deny even knowing him, despite being warned by Jesus that he would do so. Do we sing a similar song with our lives today? Are we essentially denying Christ in our workplace? To our family? In social settings? What song does our life sing to others? Are we trying to fit Christ into our lives or have we made our life about Christ? People are watching beloved and the result is life-saving!

The last lesson is the importance of singing a new song for the kingdom. Not only are people watching but they will put their trust in the Lord because of your new song! That is what holds eternal value. That when you get to heaven there will be people there specifically because of the life you led. The Holy Spirit convicts and it is only God who can save but He uses yielded vessels such as us to accomplish His will. I know who He sent into my life to bring me to the cross; it was my friend Anne. She never seemed to complain. Her life was always singing a new song despite what were not always sunny situations. She understood the God she served and she represented Him well. Jesus taught:

"You are the light of the world--like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. -- Matthew 5: 14-16 (NLT)

Why let everyone see the light inside of you? So that everyone will praise God! So that everyone will sing a new song! Remember the heart of God is that none would perish:

The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. -- 2Peter 3: 9 (NLT)

Sometimes we can get into the country club mentality at church. Better programs for us. Better peripheral services for us. Outreach? We don't have enough volunteers for that! Missions? Maybe 2% of budget. We take the light of Christ within us and hide it in the basket known as the church. Or in some instances the church is more concerned about politics than salvation. Or about selling prosperity wrapped in piety. The key verses spell it out for us very plainly. People on the outside of salvation are looking to put their trust in something. They are seeking like we once were. They feel the harshness of this world and desperately need a savior. They need something to trust. They need to hear a song of hope. They need to hear a song of grace. They need to hear a song of the love of Jesus Christ. What song will they hear when they meet you?

Let the godly sing for joy to the LORD; it is fitting for the pure to praise him.   Praise the LORD with melodies on the lyre; make music for him on the ten-stringed harp. Sing a new song of praise to him; play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy. For the word of the LORD holds true, and we can trust everything he does. He loves whatever is just and good; the unfailing love of the LORD fills the earth. -- Psalm 33: 1-5 (NLT)

Will they hear the old blues songs of your past? Will they hear about how big the giants are that you face? Will they see someone who is having trouble fitting Christ into their lives or someone who has made their life to be about Christ? Will they hear that new song on your lips? The song about how great God is in your life. The song about how since He has already delivered you from the mouth of the lion and the paw of the bear that this giant in front of you doesn't stand a chance! Will they hear the new song about the land God has promised to you or the old one about the wilderness you can't find your way out of? Many will see what He has done in your life beloved. Many will see and believe. And because you choose to sing the new song of praise to the God who deserves all praise, they too will put their trust in the Lord. That was the design of God. We are His witnesses and our testimony is the new song for the world to hear.

Now saved for over ten years I still love a good blues tune. I still love the creative guitar work and the haunting lyrics. They just no longer have anything to do with my life. I appreciate them for their sound and creativity but feel no connection to them in my walk. Because God has given me a new song and there is nothing "blue" about it. Praises to His glorious name!

Reverend Anthony Wade -- March 23, 2012

Authors Bio:
Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.