Sing a New Song. Thoughts from a 7 Minute Sabbath

Our Connect Group lessons this past week were on the Sabbath.  I was convicted that I was not being intentional about taking a Sabbath.  Over the past two years, I have heard several Bible teachers/pastors speak on Sabbath and the importance of taking a Sabbath. I KNOW what God’s word says, but in this area, I have not been a doer of that word.  That changed this week. 

This week, instead of taking an entire day as a Sabbath rest, I have incorporated a daily Sabbath into my routine.  I call it my 7 Minute Sabbath. For the most part, I end my quiet time with this. The 7 Minute Sabbath is simply about being still and listening.

This morning was one of those moments when a very familiar scripture seemed to come off the page during my Bible study, but it was during that 7 minute Sabbath that I felt God make it personal for me. 

Psalm 33: 3

                Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings with loud shouts.

I have loved this particular verse for years.  It was my justification for practicing piano before doing homework in high school.  However, today it was the first part of the verse that absolutely tugged at my heart. 

                Sing to him a NEW SONG.

What God impressed in me this morning was that a “new song” doesn’t always mean NEW lyric, NEW style, or NEW as in just written or freshly composed.  Those are great and I am a firm believer in using freshly composed music!! 

But sometimes, in our personal life, we sing the same song over and over.

Have you been there?  God delivers or heals you in one area and it is incredible! That particular time becomes a spiritual milestone, a building block of faith.  You sing that song of deliverance or healing over and over.  AS YOU SHOULD! 

BUT…sometimes we take those milestones and building blocks of faith and just set up camp. We glorify the THING we were delivered from MORE than we glorify the ONE who did the delivering.

There are mile markers on this journey that we miss because we are so focused on what he has done in the past that we miss what he is doing today.

Please hear me, we should never forget what God has done. We SHOULD look back with thanksgiving and celebration and say look how far he has brought us.

BUT, looking back for extended periods of time and not fixing our eyes on Jesus TODAY, is dangerous.  I believe with all my heart constant focus on the past keeps you from seeing the hand of God working in your life TODAY. 

What is he doing today?  Where is he taking you in this season of life? What area is he teaching you to trust him more? 

At the end of this week, will you have a new song to sing?