Psalms For Moms: Sing (A Guest Post)

I read today's post in my dear friend Mary DeMuth's newsletter and immediately emailed her to ask if I could use it as Psalms For Moms guest post, to which she graciously said yes. Visit Mary and find out about her wonderfulness at her site. Access her September newsletter in its entirety (and subscribe for yourself) here.

I will shout for joy and sing your praises,
for you have ransomed me. Psalm 71:23


"Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them." Henry David Thoreau

Will you die with your song still inside? Will I? Is there something only you can sing to the world that must be sung, but fear has held you hostage? The Lord tells us all, it's time to sing.

But sometimes I fear I've lost my voice.

Yesterday I read this in Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard. The setting is that Much-Afraid, a scarred and scared woman is trying to venture to the high places. In this point in her journey mountainward, she is in the mist, nothing all around her but her companions Sorrow and Suffering. And everywhere she walks, she hears the voices of her enemies, trying to discourage and destroy her. Finally, after the voices threaten to stop her, she decides to sing.

"There was perfect silence as she sang. The loud, sneering voices of her enemies had died away altogether. 'It is a good idea,' said Much-Afraid to herself jubilantly. 'I wish I had thought of it before. It [singing] is a much better way to avoid hearing what they are saying than putting cotton in my ears, and I believe, yes, I really do believe, there is a little rift in the mist ahead. How lovely, I shall sing the verse again.' And she did so. (page 162).

This touched me. It reminded me. It helped me.

I am called to sing.

Particularly when the voices inside and around me are hollering terrible things. My job is to refrain from stifling myself and be brave enough to sing a song to Jesus.

Today was a terrible day. Yesterday too. The day before was even worse. When I ran along the neighborhood and music flooded my earphones, all I could do was cry. I heard music but I didn't sing. Couldn't.

But then I read this small little verse and I remembered:

I will shout for joy and sing your praises,
for you have ransomed me. Psalm 71:23

God has ransomed me.

I must sing.

And so must you.