This past spring I was in a Rooted group with some of my coworkers here at Browncroft. One week we talked about musical worship, and I had a confession. I am a “car singer.”
Every time I am in the car alone, I sing. Loud. Maybe a bit too loud because, I must admit, I have been on the receiving end of a few stares from strangers at red lights. I mean, it’s a whole production. I’ve got my hands in the air, I’m singing the background vocals, and I’m hitting the imaginary drums. So you can imagine… it is quite the scene.
What do my solo car concerts have to do with Advent? Take a read through Psalm 71 and you may just figure it out.
The psalmist here is expressing gratitude to God for His protection and provision: “My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long” (verse 8). The singer is so overwhelmed by God’s goodness that praise is literally overflowing from him as he shouts to God aloud. Can you imagine being so overwhelmed by the goodness of God that you just can’t keep it in?
Just like the psalmist, we have much to be thankful for this Advent season. Maybe God miraculously helped you through a difficult season this year. Perhaps He provided for you when you were in need. Or maybe His presence has simply but powerfully brought you peace.
Or maybe these are things that you are currently asking God for.
No matter what you’re going through, I encourage you to pause for a moment and reflect on this past year. Think of the ways that God has offered you provision and protection, just like he did for the psalmist thousands of years ago.
The season of Advent is not only a time to anticipate the arrival of blessings, but to reflect on and praise God for the blessings of the past. To sing out loud!
The passage concludes with these verses: “I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel. My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you—I whom you have delivered. My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long…”
What words are flowing from our lips all day long? Songs of God’s faithfulness and deliverance?
Maybe you’re not a car singer like me — maybe you’d rather shout, speak, or even whisper! But here’s the point: God has been so good to us. So good, in fact, that we can allow His praises to overflow from our lips each and every day, no matter the circumstance.
When we speak the praises of God aloud, it brings God the honor and praise that He always deserves. It gives others a chance to hear of His goodness. And it changes something inside of us, too, by restoring our spirit to a natural posture of worshiping our Creator as we await His return.
The season of Advent is not only a time to anticipate the arrival of blessings, but to reflect on and praise God for the blessings of the past. To sing out loud!
PRAYER
(Speak this out loud) God, I praise You for all You are and all that You’ve done for me. Thank You that in this season I can reflect on the many blessings You have given me as I await the blessings to come. I will praise Your name forever and ever. Amen.
PRACTICE
Play one of your favorite worship songs. Sing along with it — out loud. Practice like the psalmist does when he says, “My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you.” Actually do it. Right where you are sing out loud to the Lord and praise Him just for being who He is in this season!
Photo by Miguel Bautista on Unsplash
