Take Up The Task of Singing

By Joel Pollard

Recently my family gathered around my mom’s piano to sing hymns together. My whole family was there, including my ailing grandparents. We sang old hymns, known by memory, for an hour or so. The incredible part of this story is that my grandmother has severe dementia. Her mind is failing her and it is deeply sad for those of us who remember her when she was full of laughter, joy, and encouragement.

But one thing about her memory has not failed her. She knows those old hymns better than we do. In those hymns are nuggets of Gospel truth and the memories we shape around them over a lifetime strengthen our faith, give us joy in sorrow, and hope for the future.

Let this be an encouragement to all of us to take up the joyful task of singing to each other. God designed music to be a powerful way of imprinting the Gospel onto our hearts and minds! When we sing together, we’re publicly proclaiming that we actually believe what we believe, and that in spite of whatever is going on in life—good or bad—that God is constant, faithful, and true.

For prayer:

Thank God for blessing our congregation with gospel-rich worship each Sunday. Pray for growth of vibrant worship as we sing “psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.”
Pray for future decisions about worship space. We have bright prospects of a possible move to Audubon K-8 (5 minutes away), a brand new facility. But there are challenges with a move, so pray that our leaders will prepare wisely.
The future of worship will include all the nations! Pray for Holida Boggs and her work with Bridges, a ministry to international students at UCF. Pray that many from other countries will come to faith in Christ through relationships with John and Holida, their team, and other believers at UCF and in churches.