Sing for Strength

Psalm 81:1

"Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob!"

As far back as my memory allows, I remember singing. I don’t necessarily remember singing well until after I joined the church choir in my teens. That’s when I discovered the absolute joy of singing and making beautiful music with others. I looked forward to each rehearsal as it was a time of singing and fellowship. Maybe it was the fellowship that really attracted me initially.

It wasn’t until even later that I discovered the joy of singing to the Lord…specifically. I can’t recall the exact moment or the exact piece of music, but I do know that one day in church, as we were singing an anthem, I suddenly got a little choked up. Was it the beauty of the music we were making? Was it the looks on the faces of the congregation? You know, that look of peace and appreciation and worship. Or was it the feeling of joy that so many people had come together in this place at this time to share their burdens and praises?

I feel this feeling more frequently as a grow older. I can tell you this, it definitely happens at some moment each Christmas season as we sing our annual Cantata to celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Even though I know it’s going to happen at some point, there is absolutely nothing I can do to stem the tide. Suddenly, as the brass and strings are soaring, or as the choir crescendos in perfect harmony, there it is. I can’t help it. I get choked up. Thank goodness for the other choir members around me who perfectly fill in the gaps when my voice waivers just a bit.

Singing for the Lord weakens my voice in those brief moments, but singing for the Lord gives me my strength to journey on every day. I love to sing. I love to sing for joy to God, MY strength.

Let us pray:

“Lord, I will forever sing to you for my strength. I know that even when my voice weakens, you will be there to lift me up and strengthen me again. Praise to you for lifting us up in strength. Amen.”

This devotion was written and recorded by John Cherry.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

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First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.