By Pastor Mark Moreno

Singing and Listening

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

Audiophiles like to debate many aspects of the listening experience. Vinyl records, 8 tracks, cassettes, CDs and digital media all have differences and similarities. I’m not much for that; I cannot pick up the differences to the degree it appears most can. Perhaps my hearing is shot after listening to music too loudly!

Today’s image is one of a record player and a Lucinda Williams album. It was one of my brother’s favorites and now I have a copy. Country and folk blues work well together!

In Psalm 96, we get some wonderful music:

“Oh sing to the Lord a new song;
    sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
    tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
    his marvelous works among all the peoples!
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
    he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
    but the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him;
    strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.”
English Standard Version

No matter how you prefer to hear music, this passage gives an imperative for us, and for all of creation, to sing to the Lord. It also gives us the reasons why we should! Have you ever found yourself discovering much to celebrate? Not much to sing about? There are definitely days like that.

I encourage you in those moments to lean into the “listening experience.” Sometimes when we are quiet, and soak in what is around us, God gives us exactly what we need. Even as I write this, I will go to a concert tonight. And then the next three nights as well!

Find your reason to sing to the Lord; find your reason to join the chorus of creation in praising God for who He is and what He has done. He is the one that has…

“…put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.”
Psalm 40, ESV

So, no matter if you are a Spotify listener, or you have a stack of scratched up CDs, lets agree that listening to the Lord is good in any form!

Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado