150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 149

Aaaaargh!!

I hadn't missed a day of blogging about a psalm for 148 days!! And then yesterday we were on the road for 13 hours or so and I thought about trying to blog from my phone, but when I thought about it we were in the middle of no signal land in southern Missouri. When we got home a little before 10 I unloaded the car and went to bed and Psalm 149 didn't even cross my mind. :-(

So here are some thoughts on Psalm 149. Later today I'll blog about Psalm 150. I can't believe 2012 is 150 days old.

Several of the psalms have had the phrase "Sing to the Lord a new song" in them. This isn't saying we should throw out all of the old songs. There is great value in old songs (the entire book of Psalms for instance). Those who only sing songs written in the last couple of years are missing out - depriving themselves and their congregations - of a richness and wisdom that songs and texts which have stood the test of time can bring to a worship time. Old songs are often dismissed as relics of the past with no meaning for today. This is the view of uneducated, youthful snobbery. Oooooo. Now I'm talking mean. Sorry. (but it's true) I have been very encouraged lately to hear the current "Christian bands" singing some of the beautiful old hymns of the 1900s. Here's a great example -  http://pagecxvi.com/

There is also great value in new songs. Music style changes and each generation wants to express their faith in their own way. There are many songs from "today" that I love singing. They have beautiful melodies and fresh texts that speak to us in the 2010s. Many of these new songs will pass the test of time. Many will be thrown out just as many of the hymns of the 1900s were let go.

So is this the point of Psalm 149? Not really. The psalmist is encouraging us to seek something new from God. To experience Him afresh today and not be satisfied with what God did in our lives last year or last decade. It was always sad for me to hear - back in the day when our services would have "testimony time" - to hear what God had done for someone back in 1962. Not that the experience with God then was bad or anything, but that they hadn't experienced anything new from God in 25 years.

Spend some time with God. Don't be satisfied with your salvation experience only. That is just the beginning of a lifelong relationship. Expect God to do something in your life. Or maybe I should say, "pay attention to what God is doing in your life." Verse 4 tells us that God delights in His people. Experience that "new" (again, fresh) today! Sing to the Lord a new song!