Don’t Wait . . . Sing Now!
Psalm 18:49
Therefore I will give thanks to You among the nations, O LORD, and I will sing praises to Your name.
During a building program for our church, I became rather discouraged. We had suffered setbacks in our efforts to rezone the property, and financing was being delayed. One day I was driving near our future site and decided to pull in. The land was still being farmed; bales of hay dotted the beautiful 35-acre tract. As I sat there in my pickup truck, envisioning buildings that weren’t becoming a reality—and, I must admit, feeling rather sorry for myself—God’s Spirit deeply convicted me. My discouragement was nothing more than stubborn pride. I wanted God’s work to fit my timetable. The Spirit clearly convicted me that my impatience was nothing more than the mental stress of a selfish heart. I got out of my F-150 and walked across that grassy piece of real estate, discouraged and convicted at the same time—what a combination!
Then a thought whispered in my heart, “Why don’t you sing praise to God.” Now, I didn’t hear voices or see anything written in the sky, just an impression to begin singing out there on that piece of farmland. So I did. I sang the Doxology loud enough to scatter some nearby birds.
I can tell you that immediately after I finished singing—in fact, it was during the song—God refocused my heart on what really mattered. This was His church, not mine. It was His timetable, not mine. And His timing is always perfect. Isn’t it true that we most often wait until things are tidied up before we praise God? We justify, “Lord, I’ll serve you when everything in my life is neatly put back together again.” Before we know it, days turn into weeks, weeks into months and, sometimes, months into years before we get around to serving the Lord with gladness.
Despite being shipwrecked twice, beaten many times, abandoned by believers, and thrown into numerous prison cells, the Apostle Paul praised God. A midnight songfest led to an earthquake and the conversion of the jailor and his family. As you look out across the farmland of your own unfulfilled desires, take time to sing. Don’t wait until a building project is finished or your debts are paid, or your kids graduate from college. Praise Him during each step of the journey.