A New Song

“I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock, and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to

those who turn aside to false gods. Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them they would be too many to declare.” Psalm 40:1‐5

I like the songs the kids sing at church camp. My task was to direct the activities at camp for several

summers so some of those songs I remember well……. we sang them over and over, every day

during camp sessions. I really liked the way the younger kids picked up on the words quickly, and

seemed to be so excited and happy to sing about Bible characters, or how much Jesus loves us. But

I must admit, before camp week was over, I was getting very tired of those songs. Kids learn them

and then seem to never stop singing them!

We had some friends when I was growing up, and their infant child’s first words were from the

slogan of a beer commercial on TV. Chad Rowland, Christian minister and author, tells about his

kids singing the words from TV commercials and everyone thought it cute until their favorite song

to sing was “Viva……Viagra!” Kids do like to sing....sometimes more than us older folks.

Every church I have been in had its share of those who preferred singing only the “old songs,” and

those who thought the old ones had been worn out over the years, so they preferred something

more contemporary. Take for example the song, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” We still

sing it sometimes, and it’s a good song, but did you know that song has been around since 1758?

Some consider it too old to use in our worship while others receive a blessing in singing the verses

of a song that is familiar to everyone. I wish I could have been at the home of some family

attending church in 1758 when “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” was first used in worship. I

can almost hear the dinner table conversation. The kids saying, (remember it’s 1758) “We really

liked that new song at church,” and Papa saying something like, “We don’t need those new songs,

and besides, we know all the words to the old ones.” With a smile, I admit there are similar

conversations around the dinner table these days.

There are times when I am on the side that prefers the older songs, because they are familiar, they

are easy, and they bring memories. However, if I am to believe the psalmist in the above scripture,

it is God that “puts a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.” The writer continues

to assure us there will be those that see and fear and place their trust in the Lord. I know (partially)

the lesson here is not isolated to our singing, but every aspect of our lives and work and worship.

We can become stale simply by doing the same things over and over, and that’s when even our

witness needs refreshing. The gospel remains the same, God’s love is never ending or changing,

and the cross is still central in our outreach. But God has brought me from the mud and mire and

set me on a solid rock. He continues to live in me and brings newness to my song, grace for living,

and freshness to my testimony. So I pray, “Lord, don’t let me fall into the rut of just going through the motions, but let me see the “newness” you bring to your servant each day.”

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