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He Keeps Me Singing

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;  Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;  Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; (Ephesians 5:18-20)
I’ve been following a devotional this year that has really been powerful.  If you are interested in a good online option, I highly recommend the Daily Text from Seedbed.  The last few days we have been wandering in the wilderness with the people of God.  There have been many times that I realize that stories that I thought I knew, maybe I didn’t know as well as I thought I did.  It’s good to flush out those finer points because we do think we know.  And the word of God is alive.  The Holy Spirit wants to make things alive to us.

 One of these entries admonished us to sing.  There is something about singing.  And I’m rather distressed and alarmed that some officials are telling us we shouldn’t sing at church.  But that discussion aside, there is no reason we can’t sing in our homes, our yards, etc.
My father sang all the time.  If he wasn’t singing, he’d be whistling.  And he was an exceptionally good whistler.  We didn’t have a car when I was growing up.  If we needed to go out of the city we’d have to hitch a ride with someone else.  That was usually someone from the church.  Typically, the man would be driving and he would look at my dad, who was already elderly and say, Brother Johannesen, please sit in the front.  Within five minutes my dad was whistling.  It embarrassed me.  But as we all realize when we grow up and our parents are gone, we’d give anything to hear him whistle now.

 But at home, he would sing.  No, he didn’t belt things out at the top of his lungs, but he seemed to always have a song.  With his Norwegian accent he would sing familiar hymns and I am sure he was reflecting on the Lord in worship.  I particularly remember Just a Closer Walk With Thee (Yust a Closer Valk vith Dee), and Do You Know My Jesus? (Du You Know my Yesus).  Even now, when we sing those songs at church I hear it with that Norwegian accent.  Such is the case with many of the precious old hymns we sing.

 But the other night I heard one that I haven’t heard in ages!  It did remind me of my dad but I honestly can’t remember him singing it specifically but since I flashed back to him I just have.  It is the hymn “Like A River Glorious.”  What a great song for today.  What a great song to remind us of God’s peace.  

Like a river glorious is God’s perfect peace,
Over all victorious, in its bright increase;
Perfect, yet it floweth fuller every day,
Perfect, yet it groweth deeper all the way.
Refrain:
Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest
Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.
Hidden in the hollow of His blessed hand,
Never foe can follow, never traitor stand;
Not a surge of worry, not a shade of care,
Not a blast of hurry touch the spirit there.
Every joy or trial falleth from above,
Traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love;
We may trust Him fully, all for us to do;
They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true.
Have you lost your song?  I encourage you to build yourself in your faith by singing and worshiping God today.  What hymn, gospel song, contemporary or traditional will you start with? Maybe you can start with He Keeps Me Singing and let Jesus swept (sweep) across your broken strings and stir the slumbering chords again.

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