Sing a New Song!

Confession: I’m not one who makes New Year’s resolutions. I find the idea of making a resolution to start the new year stressful and a little artificial for me. If I need to make changes in my life, I want to do so as soon as I’m aware of it.

But I do find myself asking God what He would have me do next and He sometimes gives me a word or idea for the coming season. A couple of years ago, He put “sing a new song” in my heart and I wanted to share those thoughts with you today.

What does it mean to “sing a new song to the Lord?”

Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. – Psalm 33:1-3 ESV

Psalm 33 (the first place in Scripture where we find the idea of singing a new song to the Lord) gives us lots of reasons why we should sing to the Lord. We can give thanks for all He has done for us. We can praise Him for who He is. We can shout out our joy that we are His children.

But what does it mean to sing a new song? I looked at the Hebrew word for “new” and found that this doesn’t necessarily mean a song that’s never been heard before. “New” here could be translated “fresh:” sing a fresh song to the Lord. Well, my mind related the idea of singing a fresh song to singing with a refreshed spirit.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes life can weigh me down. I mean, life can be hard, stressful, and sometimes I just get tired of the battle. It doesn’t always matter that I have many reasons for joy and thankfulness, I just want to do nothing but take a nap or binge watch something that doesn’t require much thought.

So, what do we do when we need some refreshment and renewal so we can persevere until it’s time to go home to heaven?

Ask the Lord to help us remember that we are new and to help us walk in that newness. (2 Corinthians 5:17, Psalm 51:10, Ephesians 4:22-24, Isaiah 40:31). Spend more time with Him, in His word. This is especially important when we don’t feel like it!

So, my resolution is to sing to the Lord every morning, not just this year, but for the rest of my days, being thankful for the fresh start I have because of God’s wonderful love.

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. - Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV

Think About: How will you sing a new song to the Lord today?