“At the age of 98 Pastor Willis was admitted to a care facility in a hospital
in a wheelchair.
Bed-ridden a few years later, He spoke with enthusiasm of how he was in
the best possible position to look up to God.
When he died at 100, he left a legacy of one who sang a new song at every
turn in his life.” (Our daily Bread)
Ps 98 exhorts us to sing a new song.
We ought to praise him even in times of difficulties
Though this is about God’s deliverance from slavery it is also prophetic
to us today, in that we can trust Him regarding today’s difficulties and
tomorrow uncertainties.
The Psalmist wrote,
‘ . . . Let the sea roar
let us joy in his salvation . . . ’
I don’t know about tomorrow and what coming days will bring, but I know
that my Lord is with me. “A heart in tune with God sings songs of praise.
“Our Daily Bread
And so reader, those who know their God, can look forward to the coming
days, months and years, not with trepidation or foreboding but with great
anticipation and confidence because we know whom we serve and we know
whom we believe, because the word of God tells us: ‘The steadfast love of
the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to end. They are new every
morning and great is His faithfulness.’ (Lam3:23)
‘Be not anxious for nothing but in EVERYTHING by prayer and petition
with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God. And the
peace of God which transcends all understanding, will garrison your heart
and your mind in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:6-7)
Learning from David
Let us take a leaf or a lesson from David of old, who remembered his
mercies in times past and focused on God in difficult times.
When faced with man-mountain Goliath he began to review the past; how
God had helped him to overcome the bear that came to have his sheep for
lunch and also how He helped him to overcome the lion that came to have
his sheep for supper. As we review the past, we will be encouraged to trust
God for the present difficulties we face and the uncertainties of tomorrow,
and we will be able to give glory to God, singing a new song in our present
circumstance. When we review the past it will give us strength for today
and hope for tomorrow to match on and conquer whatever Goliath that
stands in the way. Because we know our God reigns and His thoughts
towards us are not thought of evil but of good, the best, to give us a future
filed with hope.
Again we see in 2Samuel how David encouraged himself when the
Amalekites’ raiding party came, swooped down unannounced and carried
away all his wives, livestock, the wives and children and property of his
companions in Ziglag. David stood dry, dejected and devastated and to
add salt to injury his men turned against him and wanted to stone him.
They saw him as the source of their woes. What did David do? He did not
call a pity party. If he did he would be the only one in that party. David was
wise. Rather than wallow in the mire of disappointment, he ‘encouraged
himself in the Lord. I have often thought about how he did it and what he
may have done. Possibly he reviewed Psalm 23: ‘the Lord is my Shepherd,
I shall not want; for He leads me beside green pastures . . . Yea though I
walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you
are with me, your rod and your staff they comfort me.
Ps 27—the Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear. The Lord
is the stronghold of my life . . . Though an army encamp around me, they
will stumble and fall . . . my heart will not fear . . . You will lift my head
above my enemies, make me stand upon a rock.
Ps3 You are a shield around me Lord, my glory, the One Who lifts up my
head. I will not fear ten thousands of men that stand against me on every
side. I lie down and I sleep. I wake again sustained by the Lord.
Ps2 ‘Why do the nations rage and the people imagine vain things?. The
Lord who sits in heaven laughs . . . . ask of me and I will give you the nations
for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession.’
And after going through a few of his psalms which, reminded him of the
faithfulness of God in times past, David was renewed, energized, revitalized,
invigorated, enthused to go on, press on for the mark of the price of the
high calling in his God.
Happy are those who can live in your presence wherever they go, always
singing praises. Happy are those who are strong in you, who set their minds
on You regardless of what they face. When they walk through the valley of
weeping it will become a place of refreshing springs where pools of blessing
collect after the rain. They will continue to grow stronger—going from
glory to glory and from strength to strength. Barriers will birth blessings and
obstacles will birth miracles. You give them songs in the night. God will give you a song in your night as you look to Him.( Ps84:4-7)
Jehoshaphat also has a lesson to teach:
He faced a similar insurmountable problem when three powerful
nations, with an army like the sand in the seashore came againstJudah.
The king was naturally afraid but he plucked up courage and went before
his God and did the right thing,-declaring a time for fasting and praying.
He even led the prayer meeting. And after praying a covenant prayer,
reminding God of what He had done for them as a nation in times past,
His promises to them, and in particular, His covenant with Abraham he
concluded with, ‘we do not know what to do but our eyes are on You.’
God responded in a prophecy through Gahaziel:
‘Listen to me, O Judah, and you King Jehoshaphat, the battle is not yours
but the Lord’s. Tomorrow you go up against them.’
And as they obeyed, God gave them a strategy to sing a covenant song:
‘Praise ye the Lord, His mercy endures forever . . . ’ As they began to
sing this song, God laid an ambush against their enemies who began to
destroy themselves. They completely annihilated themselves and littered
the whole battlefield with bodies and booties.
When it was all said and done it transpired that where the enemy had
summoned Judah and King Jehoshaphat for battle became the bread basket
for the people of God and it took three whole days for them to gather the
goodies left behind.
This is what awaits you as you sing a new song in your circumstance. God
will grant you new mercies, new grace, new vista of hope, new impetus,
and new zeal, to go from glory to glory, faith to faith. He will give you
surprises that will blow your mind, far beyond your wildest dreams. What
your enemies thought will ruin you will turn out to be a blessing. Your
setbacks will become a setup for a lift up and a comeback.
Paul preached a powerful sermon from his prison cell inPhilippi
Paul and Silas were obedient servants of God, preaching the Gospel in
Philippi. They rattled the cage of some soothsayers and magicians and
adversaries of the Gospel who conspired and instigated their arrest, beating
and battering these men of God., It was as if God had abandoned His own.
They were thrown into prison with their hands and feet in stock—straight
jackets. They could hardly move. What did they do? Moan, complain,
throw temper tantrums, and point the finger at God? No! At mid-night
they sang a new song, praying and singing loudly so that other prisoners
heard them.
I could imagine Paul telling Silas, ‘Brother, let’s pray.’ And as they finished
praying, he said, ‘Now let’s sing praises to God.’ Silas may have been
surprised, and may have responded, ‘Brother Paul we are here for preaching,
now you want us to sing. Do you think it is a wise move? Something far
worse may happen to us.’
Paul and Silas preached in songs.
Paul continued, ‘Let us sing brother, Silas.
Silas: What shall we sing?
Paul: He set me free.
Silas: What? But we are still in jail! Can we sing that when we are set free?
Paul: No, this is the time. Faith is the substance of things hoped for the
evidence of things not seen; we walk by faith and not by sight.
Silas: Well, you raise the song and I will follow
.
And they began to sing:
“He set me free, one day, He set me free.
He broke the chains of prison for me.
I’m glory bound my Jesus to see.
Praise the Lord He set me free.
‘Set free to worship
set free to praise him
set free to rejoice before the throne
. . . I laugh I dance I shout I sing
alleluia to my Lord and King
“Set free to rejoice for evermore.’
‘What a mighty God we serve
Heaven and earth adore Him
Angel bow before Him
what a mighty God we serve.”
‘I am delivered O praise the Lord
I am delivered by His word
For the chains of sin are broken
I am delivered, O praise the Lord.
There’s been a great change in me,
O great change in me
I am so happy I am so free
He brought me out of bondage into liberty
O, O, O, there’s a great change in me.’
And as they continue to sing these songs of deliverance over and over again,
at midnight, their praise rose to God as a sweet-smelling aroma. God was
enjoying the sacrifice of praise and began to tap His feet, and when God
begins to tap His feet earthquake is the result. The jail was rocked from
its foundations and their chains fell off. Glory be to God!
They were set free. The jailor got the news of the jail being rocked and flung open and
his heart sank thinking all the prisoner had run away. He wanted to take his life and Paul and Silas shouted out:
‘Do not harm yourself. We are all
here.’ He was so convicted that he said: ‘What must I do to be saved?’ Paul
immediately told him ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you
and your household.’
We can all see the purposes of God in allowing his children to go through
what they went through. When you see your trials through the eyes of
God, you will see the purpose and you too will rejoice because His plans
for us are not plans of evil but of good to give us a future and a hope. It
does not imply that we will always have it rosy but we know that whatever
He allows is for our ultimate good.
Joseph: From Pit to Palace
Joseph, in spite of being righteous, generous, maintaining his integrity,
accountability and purity was thrown into prison. His dream got him
into trouble with his brothers yet he did not shy away from interpreting
dreams in the prison to help others. That was singing a new song in his
circumstances instead of moaning. God vindicated him in the end.
What more? He saw the purposes of God when he met his brothers and
they felt ashamed and remorseful of what they had done. Joseph did
not gloat over his advantage over them but comforted them: ‘It was not
you that sent me here but God sent me ahead to preserve many alive.’
(Gen45:5-8,—50:20)
Today, find God’s purpose in your circumstance and be encouraged to sing
new song. Sing a new song at every turn of your life like Pastor Willis. See
your changed situation as another opportunity of ‘being in the best position
to look up to God’, to give witness to the goodness of God. Someone said,
‘when your back is on the ground, praise God. You can only look up.’
Sing a new song to the King, know that He is in control at all times. Know
that He works everything together for the good of those who love Him and
who are called according to His purposes. Let us remind ourselves that if
God be for us no one can be against us. ‘Our light afflict worketh for an
exceeding weight of eternal glory.’ The outward man may perish but the
inward man is being renewed day by day. ‘Thanks be to God who always
causes us to triumph in Him.’ ‘Weeping may endure for the night but joy
is coming in the morning.’
Jesus is currently at the Father’s right hand interceding for us as our Attorney
and Advocate. He never loses a case and He will never lose our case. ‘It is
done, yes it is done. Through the precious blood of Jesus salvation is won.’
We have a New Covenant established on better promises and that is why
we can sing a new song at every turn in our lives. Our lives are hidden in
Christ in God. We are engraved on the palm of his Hands. Shall a mother
forget her sucking babe or the babe in her womb? Even if she does, God
has promised not to forget us.
Sing a New Song regardless of the weather. The God of the summer is also the God of the winter and He is good all the time.
We can sing a new song regardless of the weather, whether or not it is
cloudy, because we know Our God is in control; we know Who has gone
before us; we know who has given His word and will not go back on it. We
know that faithful is He who has called us who will also fulfil His promises.
We know that He is working EVERYTHING together for the good of
those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose. The
good work He has begun in our lives, He will bring to fruition. Therefore
we can look unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, Who, for the
joy set before Him, endured the cross. We too can endure our cross after
seeing the joy ahead of us.
You and I can look forward to finishing well our race of grace, singing a
new song on the mountain. Sing a New Song in the valley or alley, singing
a New Song even if it is cloudy. Friend, sing a new song in the desert or
green pasture. Sing a new Song in the summer or winter of life. Why? The
God of the mountain is also the God of the valley. He made the peak and
the trough.
He Made the Peak and the Trough
He made the peak
And made the trough
That you may seek
Him who is enough.
So there will be winter
When it is biting cold
And there will be summer
When it is warm and you’re bold
We need the mountain
And we need the valley
To see His fountain
And enter Eternity
And so, there’s a time to weep
A time for glee
A time to sleep
And time to greet the dawn
A time to fall
A time to rise
A time to be emptied
and a time to be full
a time to be beaten
and a time to be elevated
a time to be abased
and a time to abound.
God knows best
When to bring what
But it’s all for the best.
Sing a new song because our God is faithful, powerful, awesome, exceedingly
abundantly able to turn any table, regardless of how impossible it may seem.
He has the final word concerning our lives. Therefore neither death nor life
nor angel nor principalities nor things present nor things to come nor height
nor depth nor any other created thing can separate us from the love of God
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. As far as the East is from the West, so far
has He removed our transgression from us. And as high as the heavens are above
the earth, so great is His love towards us. (Ps103:11-12, Rom8:37-39)
Sing a new because He loves you with an everlasting love. Sing a new song
because of His great love; it is mammoth. Sing a new song because His angels
are on assignment for you. Sing a new song because there is nothing too hard
for Your God. The earth, in all its fullness, belongs to Him. Silver and gold
belong to Him. The cattle on thousand hills belong to Him. Alleluia!
I don’t know about what tomorrow holds, but I know Who holds tomorrow.
He is the Sovereign Lord, who reigns and rules from sea to sea. Therefore
His praise my heart will sing. ‘A heart in tune with God sings melodies all
its day.’
My God stands by His Word. Heaven and earth will pass away but
His word will not pass away. The word that has proceeded out of His
mouth will not return to Him empty but will accomplish that which He
pleases prosper in the thing whereunto it is sent. By two unchangeable
things—His word and his oath, it is impossible for God to lie. He
said, ‘I will not alter my covenant. (Matt.24:35, Isa55:11, Ps89:34,
He6:18)
Sing unto the Lord a new song . . . for He has done marvelous things. His
right hand and His holy Arm has gotten Him the victory. The Lord has
made know His salvation to His people. All the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God.
Surely, God Will Find YOU!
Surely, God will find YOU!
In the back of the desert.
He is faithful and true;
His own He will not desert.
Just like He found Moses,
Who had lost his vision,
Content to join the Jones;
God will bring resurrection.
When you’re weak, you’ll be strong,
Going in the strength of the Most High.
God will revive, give you a tonic and song.
And you will tread on places that are high.
The dumb shall be able to speak.
The lame shall leap like a deer.
The blood of the Lamb will speak
For the redeemed, His, dear.
Remember His mercies sing unto the Lord a new song. When the brought
back the captives of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths
were filled with laughter and our tongues with joy. For it was said among
the nations: ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’ This will be your
testimony.(Ps126)
Review the Past and be strengthened
Sing a new song, review the past like David did when he face Goliath; tell of His goodness, His wonders, His greatness, His faithfulness and His loving kindness.
God did wonders for my life in Ireland: sustaining me for 8 years when I was not allowed to work (rained manna); birthing songs upon songs of deliverance in the valley of affliction; opening doors of ministry to encourage the saints despite what I was going through. With these songs I was able to encourage myself like David. He opened the rock and brought forth water.
Jesus Christ, the same, yesterday today and forever. He said I am the
Lord, I change not. He is a good God and He is good all the time—Jehovah
Shammah—the ever-present Lord; He is Jehovah Nissi—your victorious
banner; He is Elshaddai, the double breasted One, the God who is more
than enough, the Almighty. He is Jehovah Jireh—Supplier of all your needs
according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. He is Your peace—Jehovah
shalom. So regardless of the storms around you today, you can hold your
peace because He fights for you. You can hear Him say, ‘Peace, be still and
know that I am God. Though the mountain be carried into the midst of
the sea, stand to see your salvation. Though the sea roar and convulse, keep
calm. I am at the helm of your affairs.’
He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. Count your blessings, name them one by one and it would surprise you what the Lord has done fo; encourage you to keep pressing on for the mark of the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus.
Know that the One in whom you believe is all-powerful, all-wise and nothing can thwart his plans and
purposes. His counsel shall stands. He decrees and it stands because He is able to do exceeding abundantly able to turn any table. He was before Abraham, He is and is to come—the Ancient of Days.
He told Abraham, ‘Get out of your country, your family . . . your comfort
zone . . . to a place that I will show you.’ And when he did, God showed
him the place. Yes, he leftHaranand he came intoCanaan. Abraham left
Haran and came into Canaan.
Abraham left Haran and came into Canaan. That shall be your portion.
Yes, regardless of the famine Abraham leftHarancame intoCanaan. Why?
Because God had given Him His word and He held unto that word until it came to pass
Be a Holy fool for God
Be a holy fool for God,
By responding to His call,
Come on, take Him at His Word,
Obey and you will not fall.
Leave! Get out of your country.
Detach yourself to attach,
Gracefully, not wearily;
From self-will, now be detached.
From Haran, go to Canaan
Land flowing with milk and honey
Commit yourself to God’s plan
Go and flow with Him, easy.
Now, for His will be hungry;
Let nothing else take it’s place.
Yield! His Spirit will carry
You from the maze to the place.
Delay can be dangerous
So get to work, fast today!
Be focused and be zealous;
Know that God will make a way.
You’ll be blessed to be a blessing.
A great nation you’ll become.
From Abram learn a lesson:
Obey. Let God’s kingdom come!
And so the challenge is for you and I to obey Him despite circumstances to the contrary.
It is written, ‘Your word is a light to my path and a lamp to my
feet.’ This means God will not show you the whole journey at once. With a
lamp you can only see the next step and at the end of that step you are able to
see the next step and so on. So it is with our race of grace and walk with God.
It is one day at a time and so long as we are holding on to Him and trusting
Him, He will take us to the other side—His desired haven.
Sing, my friend. Sing in the sun and sing in the rain like a robin. You can
sing the gospel. Sing a new song to the Most High. Sing in the day and
sing in the night.
Sing:
Heaven hear my voice as I sing
O earth, listen as I praise my King
I waited and waited for so long,
Now my God has given me a song.
They said to me, ‘for you, there is no hope
Commit suicide, I have a rope’
But today, I see a great hope
Coming down from the great God of Hope.
Sing a new song and make it long and strong. Sing this song before the day of victory arrives.
God gave me this song before He made a way for me to go back to England
in fulfilment of His word to me ‘I will bring you back . . . . ’
This was after almost 8 years of being exiled inIrelandand moving from house to house, not allowed to work. But God provided and protected and gave songs in my night, one of which is “Sing a New Song”
Sing a new song because you know, that you know, that you know, that as long as the
Lord lives, as long as night follows day, the word of the Lord shall not fall
to the ground.
Jesus had told the disciples ‘let us go to the other side and guess what? As
they got into the boat, a storm arose. That was to test their faith and
then at midnight when it was darkest, Jesus showed up. Alleluia! In your
darkest moment Jesus will show up. ‘The nearer the dawn, the darker the
night.’ Stand still to see the salvation of the Lord!
On another occasion, He was in the boat with them, sleeping and the
storm arose and they cried, ‘Master don’t you care that we perish? not
even thinking that since He was in the boat with them, if they perished
He would too. But we know that Jesus could not perish. He came to
do the will of God the Father and no wind could thwart the plans and
purposes of God. And so Jesus rose up and rebuked the wind and there
was a great calm.
The word of God says,’ Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever,’
when the storm comes and you know that He is in the boat, you don’t need
to worry, sleep with Him, because you know that you will arrive at your
destination. If Jesus says, ‘Let us go to the other side,’ you will reach the
others side regardless of the ploys of the enemy-satanic machinations. You
will arrive on the other side because Jesus is faithful. Faithful is He who has
called you, Who will also do it.
The Holy Spirit is there to guide you, comfort and strengthen you. He
is the Standby come to stand by you. He is there to comfort you in your
distress. Call on Him. Ask Him to give you divine perspective in your
trials so that you can rejoice before you see. The fig tree may not now
blossom. There may be no fruit on the vine; there may be no cattle in the
stall nevertheless you can rejoice in the God of your salvation. He sees and
He cares and He knows and He is working behind the scenes. Call on the
Spirit of Grace to give you a new dose of His Grace that is sufficient for
you. He will quicken His word (the promises, His Rhema word to you, His
mercies) what He had done in times past. It is said ‘worry is the interest you
pay on trouble before you get it.’ Why pay interest? Man’s days are full of
trouble. There will always be adversities. It is how you face the adversities
that determine the outcome.
Sing a new song at every turn and you can face today’s difficulties and
tomorrows uncertainties with confidence in a faithful God Who begins
and finishes what He begins. Sing a new song to the King and make
it long, as long as the King of king is on the throne. You can face any
Goliath that confronts you and through Christ can fell him and turn on
the light in your life, in your family, in your nation to the glory of God.
Alleluia!
I will conclude with this poem
Sing a New Song
Sing a New Song
Unto the Lord
And make it long
Full of His Word.
Sing in all seasons
Winter or summer
There’s good reason
He’s Alpha and Omega.
Sing in the valley
Sing on the mountain
Sing in penury
Sing before you obtain.
Sing a new song
no matter how bad
Sing even if you’re wronged
Sing even if you’re sad.
Sing in the throng
Sing when you’re alone
Sing with a gong
Sing with a cone.
Sing when you’re strong
Sing when you’re weak
For it won’t be long
For your great break.
Sing in the light
Sing in the dark
Sing with His might
Sing making your mark.
–
Sing in abundance
Sing when you lack
Sing with a dance
Sing taking a flack.
Sing in the rain
Like the robin
Sing when in pain
Sing in prison.
Sing when you fall
Sing when you rise
Sing strong like Paul
Apple of God’s eyes.
Sing in the battle
Sing in the field
Sing with a mantle
Sing of your Shield.
Sing in your flight
From Herod’s pursuit
Know God will right
Every wrongful suit.
Sing in your fight
Trusting the Lord.
Sing in your night
Your light, His Word
Sing
a new
song to Him.
who rides the winds
and can heal the sick
He walks on the waters
and even raises the dead
and brings water out of the rock
parts the sea, rains manna from heaven
and makes the impossible possible
He makes the impossible possible.
Rains manna from heaven, parts the sea;
Brings water out of the rock,
And even raises the dead.
He walks on water,
Can heal the sick;
He rides the winds.
Sing to Him
A new
Song.
Ps 96;1,-98:1,—144:9, 149:1, Isa42:10, Ps33:
This is an excerpt from my book: Sing a New Song
You can also sing the Song : Sing a New Song, below
Sing a New Song (1)
Sing a New song,- a song with a cutting edge, joy unspeakable and full of glory to the Lord of Glory.
©Fenny West 2010
inspiration4generations 