You
are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. (ESV)
I was driving with our son
recently, and we were listening to one of my favorite albums from back in the
day, Steve Camp’s 1983 Fire and Ice. When the song “It is Good” came
on, I was struck by the huge contrast between secular and Christian music…once
again. The message of the song is to
praise God even, or especially, when you don’t feel like it. Contrast that with Elton John’s “Sad Songs,”
which advises that when all hope is gone we should “tune in and turn them on.”
Don’t get me wrong. I love plenty of secular music. Yet this is a clear example of how
differently the world looks at things.
When I am down I should listen to sad songs? Really?
That may seem like the right thing to do, and praising God when you are
down is certainly not intuitive and takes some work. Scripture tells us, however, that God
inhabits the praises of His people. Does
it not actually make more sense to have your loving Father with you when all
hope seems gone?
Try it. As Amy Grant
sang, “Sing your praise to the Lord.
I can never tell you how much good that it’s going to do you.”
Copyright © 2014 by Steven R. Perkins
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