Day 22 with Moses: The Lord wants us to sing to Him.

“Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and spoke, saying: “I will sing to the Lord, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!”

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭15:1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I was about 18 months old when I sang my first solo in church. The song was, “Then I met the Master” (Mosie Lister). Here are the lyrics:

(Verse)

Like a babe when it cries for it's mother. Like a child I was helpless, alone. Then I met the Master. Now I am one of His own.

(Chorus)

For all things were changed when He found me. A new day broke through all around me.

For I met the Master.

Now I belong to Him

(Verse)

Like a blind man who walks in the darkness, I had longed, I had searched for the light.

Then I met the Master. Now I walk no more in the night.

I list the lyrics to this song, first of all, because it describes the awesome miracle of transformation that comes at the revelation of Jesus Christ in the heart of every believer. Also, I list the lyrics because this song is very important to me having marked the beginning of decades of singing for the Lord.

I began to be a regular part of a trio with my sister and brother starting at around seven years of age. I have continued to minister to the Lord—and to His people—in song since that time.

I have sung at times when it took every bit of strength I had to get the notes out. I have sung with tears of sorrow running down my cheeks. I have sung within the context of great stress. But through all of this I have found that the Lord loves it when we sing to Him.

I regret every time that I may have sung from a heart looking away to my own agenda. Our songs to the Lord should have nothing to do with self aggrandizement or come from a heart fixed on anything but the Lord. Our songs to the Lord should come from the overflow of a heart so thankful and overwhelmed with the goodness and faithfulness of God, that words alone do not suffice; the words must take flight on the vehicle of singing.

Did you know that we are actually commanded to sing to the Lord? That’s right, it’s not just for worship leaders. As a matter of fact, whereas the word “sing,” in some form or another, is mentioned around 400 times in the Bible, at least 50 of those times are in the form of a command. Additionally, the longest book in the Bible (Psalms) is a song book. As well, we are instructed to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, in the New Testament (Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16).

Indeed, Paul and Silas were singing to the Lord when He brought a jailbreak!

“But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭16:25-26‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Today we find Moses singing a wonderful song about the goodness of God as demonstrated in the Red Sea miracle. As a point of interest, this song of Moses is mentioned in the psalms, with portions of it also being quoted elsewhere.

“The waters covered their enemies; There was not one of them left. Then they believed His words; They sang His praise.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭106:11-12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

In the Revelation we see the song of Moses still being sung at the end of days.

“And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.””

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭15:2-4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Moses was special to the Lord and I believe that his song set the standard for all songs to the Lord going forward.

You may not feel like singing. You may not think that you’re a very good singer; indeed, you may not be a good singer. But make no mistake, your song matters to the Lord.

Several years back I was struggling with my voice; having sung for so long, I had actually nearly blown out my vocal cords. During this time, I was singing a song that has a line that says, “May I be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ears.” In my heart I said, “Lord, this is not a sweet sound coming out of my mouth.” He clearly spoke to me and said, “You don’t hear what I hear.”

When we sing to the Lord, He hears more than the vibrations that hit an eardrum; He hears our heart. And—in our songs—we speak directly back to His heart. To use another line, from another song: “Now my soul begins to sing out, back to the source from which it came.”

For today let us discover what Moses discovered:

The Lord wants us to sing to Him.

#40dayswithmoses