See that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil...but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord...(Ephesians 5:15,18-19)
Most of you would agree that we are living in difficult times. Trouble is everywhere. Evil is ever present. How do we cope with the daily pressures of life? What can we do to make the time pass easier? One suggestion is that we enjoy the gift of singing. I look forward to hearing our choirs on Sunday morning. Their voices always encourage me as I prepare for preaching. We are fortunate to have different choirs that minister to us with the old songs, as well as the more contemporary songs. All of them are designed to glorify and worship God.
Sometimes I begin singing a hymn while driving down the street. My favorite is still "Amazing Grace." However I must say that Yolanda Adams' "The Battle Is Not Yours, Its The Lord's" does a number on me as well. Of course "Endurance" is my favorite Quartet. I keep my radio tuned to stations that play Gospel Music and I have an iPod that I can carry everywhere I go. There is just something soul stirring and enduring about music.
In the passage above, Paul tells the Church at Ephesus to make good use of its time during the evil days. He tells them that they should use the psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to sing melodies to the Lord. The Spirit of God is made manifest as the people of God sing (sincerely) to the Lord. He seems to say that singing to the Lord is wise, and not foolish. We also communicate with one another through song. In essence we are speaking to one another while making melody in our hearts to the Lord.
I am so proud of all of our Choirs: The Sunshine Choir; The FWMBC Ensemble; The Male Chorus; The Women's (Mission) Chorus; the Adult Choir; The Youth Choir; and our Mass Choir. They are the best! In addition, Stellar nominated "Endurance" is an adopted member of the family.
In conclusion, one way to handle these difficult times is to Sing Praises to the Lord. He will hear you and bless you. But not only that, good singing just makes you feel good too. Sing on!
