The Official Writing Challenge
BACK TO
CHALLENGE
MAIN
INSTRUCTIONS
how it works
submission rules
guidelines for
choosing a level
ENTRIES
submit your entry
read current entries
read past entries
challenge winners
Our Daily Devotional HERE
Place it on your site or
receive it daily by email.


TRUST JESUS TODAY

  • Share
  • how it works
  • Submit
Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Singing (10/31/05)
A song for every occasion

The issue of church music has been the cause of major tension amongst the different generations in the church. Our Elders believe that all this hip hop gospel music Christians listen to in these days is tricks from Satan to mislead believers. The youth on the other hand, are of the opinion that the traditional hymns are boring and backwards. They want music that they can dance to during congregational singing. I remember that the verse in Ps 33:3 “Sing to the Lord a new song ” was one of the verses that I used as ammunition against my grandmother during the times she tried to convince me that it is godlier to sing the old hymns. To me this scripture meant that God gets bored with old songs and we needed to come up with new songs if we wanted to keep His interest.

However, with age comes wisdom. Thank God for that. God revealed to me that the year in which the song was written is not of importance. What counts is that I am able to sing a song unto the Lord in of the all circumstances of my life. It is my current circumstances that make my song new. After all, God does say in his word that he is doing a new thing. I remember the time I stood on Table Mountain; I looked down on the beauty of the blue-gray Ocean and green robin island with its wonderful history, the hymn: How great thou art, come to my mind. Or the time I felt so anxious to hear the cry of my first born baby girl after a very difficult birth. As soon as I heard her cry my heart filled with the words of the little chorus we used to sing in my church: Thank you Jesus, Thank you Jesus.

Than there were those days when I felt so far from God, days when he seemed so silent. In times like these I always sing: Pass me not o gentle Savior, hear my humble cry, while on others thou art calling, do not pass me by, and than there’s that great classic: I need thee o I need thee, every hour I need thee, o bless me now my Savior I come to thee. Needless to say God always responds positively to these songs.

In the moments of grief, when the death of a loved one rocked my world, the words from Cee Cee Winans ; comforter, that’s who you are to me, comforter, a name that fits so perfectly, peace that passes all understanding, comforter that who you are to me, kept me from losing my mind.

Than there are those crazy days when all I want to do is dance. In days like these I slip a CD from Mary Mary in the CD player and dance wildly to these words; shackles of my feet so I can dance, I just want to praise you, just want to praise you.

As a thirty year old, I have passed my days of head-banging to the word of DC Talk’s what will people say if they know that I’m a Jesus freak. I also have not yet reached the stage in my life where I will sing O Beulah Land, Sweet Beulah land. However, I thank God, because at this point in my life I can sing with the song writer: every day with Jesus, Is sweeter than the day before, every day with Jesus, I love him more and more!
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE

JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
This article has been read 960 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Jan Ackerson
11/07/05
Thanks for this balanced view on something that has torn apart too many churches.

A lyric change that really makes a difference: Mary Mary sang "take the shackles OFF my feet so I can dance..."

Good piece of writing; thanks!
Carol Adams
11/08/05
I love the hymns and the new worship songs. Both minister if we allow them too. You did a fine job on bringing balance in a difficult era of churches today. Music begans in the heart.
Paul Potenza
11/09/05
It's interesting that my brother and I just had this same discusssion. Do you remember "Morning Has Broken" by Cat Stevens? That song was actually written in the 1800's. Old or new, songs are a gift from God.

Pauly
D. Phenes
11/10/05
Have to laugh as I am bouncing to dc talk as I type. Thanks for this autobiographical entry.. I enjoyed it! djdeb
Katherine Douglas
11/10/05
what a wonderful entry! As a 41 year old who had the same discussion with my mother and grandmother that you had during my teenaged years when the Winans, and the Clark Sisters first hit the scene and my mother felt some objects to the music. I now have 4 childrens ages 8-18 and we were just discussing this subject on last Sunday. Thank you for this article.
Katherine Douglas
11/10/05
my mother felt objectionable towards the new music not "objects" - oops! :)
Rachel Rudd
11/10/05
Wow! What an article! I really enjoyed reading it. I know exactly what you mean about singing different songs during different phases of one's life. You expressed it well!
The only thing I wonder about is the grammer of how you quoted the songs...I'm not sure the correct way, but maybe it is right..