I Will Sing Devotional

From Don
05.08.09

Lyric Excerpt for “I Will Sing”
I will sing, I will praise.. Even in my darkest hour.. Through the sorrow and the pain.. I will sing, I will praise.. Lift my hands to honor You.. Because Your Word is true.. I will sing..

Scripture reference: Psalm 145:17-18
“The Lord is righteous in all his ways, And loving toward all He has made. The Lord is near to all who call on him, To all who call on him in truth.”(NIV)

When you’re privileged to do what I do, to travel around the country and minister to others through worship, you see a lot of church signs. And depending on what neck of the woods you’re in, some signs just don’t make a lot of sense. Like the one I saw out in front of a beautiful white clapboard chapel on a state highway in Louisiana. It said, “Today’s Sermon: the Word of God.” Trouble was, besides the obvious fact that all sermons should be based on the Bible, I passed that sign on a Thursday. That sermon was long finished.

Another sign I saw recently really confused me. It read: “Pot Luck Revival, Sunday-Wednesday.” I’m still not sure it that church was having a revival or a four-day buffet.

But one church sign seems to be cropping up more than others these days: “Sinners welcome here.” And every time I see one, I think: “Thank the Lord for just telling it like it is.”

The only difference between the sinners inside churches and the sinners outside churches is the amazing grace and forgiveness of God. The saints really are sinners who still fall down, but by the outstretched arm of a merciful God, we get up again. And again.

Trouble is, too many Christians think that they have to be worthy to worship the Lord. Many walk through the workweek feeling that God is far away. They don’t try to pray because they’re not convinced He’s listening. And besides, the anger and fear and doubt that consumes their thoughts isn’t really the stuff you’re supposed to tell God about, right?

Few things are further from the truth. Psalm 145: 18 says, “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” You can—in fact God wants you to—tell Him what you really think. To be honest about what’s going on in your life and in your heart. He already knows what’s going on anyway, but He longs for you to tell Him all the same.

The reality is that everyone goes through days when we feel God is far away. There’s a phoniness in some Christian circles that says you don’t admit that. But just look at Psalm 109 where David – the sweet psalmist of Israel who said, ‘I will bless the Lord at all times’ – tells God all about his fear and doubt, in no uncertain terms. Why is he so bold? Because he couldn’t be anything but honest before the Lord. That’s what God wants in our worship—our spirit and our truth.

The truth really does set us free. Free to worship with our whole hearts. Don’t be afraid. Be bold and tell God the truth about something you’ve been holding back. Release that sin or bitterness or anger by confessing it, and let the truth set you free.

- Don