My wife and I were invited by another couple at the end of the day.  As we were having refreshments by a beautiful lake, I shared with my friends the blessing God gave me in the morning from James 5:13, so we talked about the blessing of singing, and soon we were singing together.

Our hostess said, “But I can´t just sing by myself, I have to do it with others…”  Right, but then I thought again of what James said, “Is anyone cheerful?  Let him (or she) sing praise!”  Oh, it´s powerful to do it alone also before the Lord.  By the way, we are never alone, but the Triune God, three in One, is also there, for the pure singing has its origin in Him.

Martin Luther´s love for the Bible has been an inspiration to me.  “Sola Scriptura” was his battle cry.  But his people, the Germans, have also inspired me. I have been in many German homes where singing was an essential part of our fellowship.  The Germans are champions in part-singing.

They say down there,  “Wo man singt, da lass dich ruhig nieder, böse Menschen haben keine Lieder!”  (Where there´s singing, relax and feel at home, - evil people don´t sing!)

But why singing?  Couldn´t we just be talking?  Well, God has created us as singing creatures.  As born again people He has put a new song in our mouth, “a song of praise to our God”  (Psa. 40:3).  And what about this word from Psa. 22:3:  “You…are enthroned on the praises of Israel!”   In other words, our cheerful songs of praise raise a Throne for Him!

So “songs of praise” are not reserved for  “educated” singers.  We say over here, “every bird sings with its own beak” (do you have a similar saying?), and the great Creator of singing says to you and me, “O my dove…let me hear your voice”  (S. of S. 2:14). I once heard an American brother say, “If you don´t let the Lord hear your voice, He can´t hear it!”

You may say, “But I don´t have any voice!”  Well, have you heard the voice of a dove?  It´s not a platform voice, is it? And yet the Lord says to his “dove” (to you), “Your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely!”  Welcome to His sweet choir of redeemed singers, not only on the well equipped platform, but everywhere,  nay, in your home not the least!  (In our home we are now just two cooing doves!)