"Play Before the Lord"

This past Sunday was the feast of Christ the King, and as such, the predominant theme in my choir's songs was that of praise and worship, extolling God's wonderful power, splendour, love, and generosity.

One of my favourite hymns in our repertoire was sung at Communion. It is entitled "Play Before the Lord". If you are unfamiliar with this song, here are the lyrics:

I will play before the Lord
I will sing to Him my melody
Stand among His people here
Telling of all His ways
I will sing before the Lord
Let us sing to Him our melody
Stand within His temple here
Telling of all His ways

Sing, people of God

Bless his holy name
Offering Him our joyful hearts
Joining in endless praise
Alleluia

Alleluia
Alleluia, Alleluia
Joining in endless praise


What does this song encourage us to do? How can we "play before the Lord"?

Stand Among His People, Telling of His Ways

Part of this song is more obvious. We are called to evangelize as we "stand among His people" and "[tell] of His ways" - to share with others the Good News of God's glory and love for us.

This is not always easy. Sometimes we are met with resistance, disbelief, or even hostility, and we may feel discouraged, saddened, or fearful. However, we are encouraged to keep heart and continue to spread our passion for our faith, in a way that is positive, uplifting, and humble.

Join in Endless Praise

This song also encourages us to find and then act on our gratitude unto God, not just when big, exciting things happen, but constantly. Small things are also worthy of our thanks. For example, getting to eat a favourite meal, or even simply getting a good parking spot can make a positive difference in your day. Why not take a moment to say a prayer of thanks for it? Let us strive to make gratitude and praise habitual. When we cultivate a genuine sense of gratitude for the many good things, situations, or people we encounter, we will in turn cultivate greater joy. This brings me to the next section of the song.

Singing Our Joyful Melody to God

Perhaps my favourite lines in the song are those that encourage us to "sing to Him our melody" and "[offer] Him our joyful hearts".

How can we do this?

What does it mean to sing our melody?

We are all given a unique set of talents, gifts, hopes, dreams, strengths, challenges, feelings, and ideas. We are all different, and can all offer the world, and the Lord, different beautiful and wonderful things. The key is to find a way to balance all the facets of our lives, and to do so in a joyous way; that is, to take what we are given and weave everything into a harmonious, happy melody.

In the post "Let Your Light Shine", we discussed finding what your God-given talents are, and utilizing them to the fullest in order to help others and glorify God. This is definitely a major part of singing our melody to God. Acting on our gifts in a positive, loving way is undoubtedly the best way to thank Him for them!

Further, when we do what we love, and what we are gifted at, we experience joy. When we experience, and then find ways to express joy, it is catchy! We never know who we may be able to inspire with kind, happy words and a warm smile!

I have to express gratitude to my wonderful fiance. Recently, he gave me a bookmark with some words by St. Augustine of Hippo. The quotation is quite similar thematically to the words of "Play Before the Lord", and reading it really helped me gain a greater appreciation for and insight into the message being put forth.

Here is the passage:

"Life's Song"

Don't let your life

Misrepresent your song.

Sing with your voice.

Sing with your heart.

Sing with your mouth.

But especially sing

With your whole life.

In other words, live authentically! Let us take what we are given and make something beautiful of it. Let our joy and love of God pour forth in all that we do!

May God bless you, today and always!

Karen