Sing Your Song
Psalms 34:1 – I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my
mouth.
This week I would like to share a story with you from a book I am reading entitled,
"How to Get Along with Difficult People."
My little grandson, Dan Patridge, was injured at birth and as a consequence has been
left with a condition called cerebral palsy. He is now twenty years old , and he
can’t walk, or talk, or feed himself, except with extreme difficulty. He has very
little control over his bathroom functions. Sometimes he can notify, but certainly he
can’t take care of himself and must wear diapers.
His spastic muscles curl parts of his body into terrible deformities. For example, his
foot will twist until the bone sticks out the flesh. I have called out in despair to God
when I have watched this little boy suffer through the years. However, Dan will stretch out his deformed hand
to touch you and bow his head to pray for you if he sees that you are sad. Of course, no
one but God can understand the guttural words he uses. But he does pray for those who are
sad or suffering.
During a recent Christmas cantata at Dan’s church, someone wheeled him to the
front to sing with the children. Dan looks like he is about six years old. He sang in a
loud, off-key, unintelligible voice that jarred on the singing of the sweet children. At
the end of the Christmas program a medical doctor who had been invited to the service came
forth to accept Christ. He turned to the audience and said, "I have been an atheist
most of my life. No one could convert me to the Christian faith. Tonight I listened to the
little boy in the wheelchair sing and the Spirit of God came upon me in such a way that I
could no longer deny His existence. If that little boy can sing praises to God in his
condition, then I can, too."
Many people do not bless the Lord because they feel that they can not. They say,
"My testimony doesn’t sound as good as Brother Jones’" or "I
can’t sing as well as Sister Sadie, so I’m not going to sing at all."
However, what we really should understand is that our song, testimony or praise could be
what brings someone to Christ.
Here’s a different way of looking at this. Your praise may be someone else’s
way out. Our scripture says, "I will bless the Lord at all times." The New
International Version says, "I will extol (lavishly praise) the Lord at all
times." When it comes time to give God some praise, we need to lose "self"
and get the bigger picture. Yes, your praise may be your way out, but I can truly tell you
as a witness, SOMETIMES YOU GO THROUGH WHAT YOU’RE GOING THROUGH FOR OTHERS!!!
Believe it not, God allows you to go through it first so that you can be a
"road-map" showing others how to get out. Once they see you praising God on your
way in, on your way out and during the in-between — they will know that "this
thing" is only for a season and they can win.
Now what will happen when you go through all you’ve gone through and haven’t
said anything to anyone about it? Someone else suffers!!! Yes, someone else suffers!!!
That little girl who is going through the same problems with her father that you had is
suffering. The husband who is struggling with the same problem you faced last year is
still hurting. The teenager who is facing peer pressure on all sides is still confused.
All of this because we won’t open our mouths and share what God has done for us.
"Brother Yon, you don’t understand… It’s embarrassing to let folk know
what I did or what I went through."
I don’t know about you, but here’s my conclusion on this matter: "I
would rather be embarrassed about something I did, than let the devil embarrass my
brother/sister in the future." That’s why I’ve got to praise Him for
bringing me out of ungodly relationships. I’ve got to praise Him for bringing me out
of unwise financial investments (for us down to earth folks– I’m talking about that
devil called debt!). I’ve got to praise Him for bringing me from hatred to the high
mark of the call of God in Christ Jesus!!! Don’t worry if your song isn’t the
prettiest in the land — keep singing your song of praise. Motown might not beat down
our door to sign us up, but that’s alright; we are going to be like "our man
Dan" and keep singing the praises!! If the critics come to discourage, we are going
to keep singing our song. And even if the devil comes to destroy, we are going to keep
singing our song because God’s people will be delivered, will have dominion and will
reach their destiny!!!
So hell, you’d better recognize because you have been warned!!
