“He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. -Psalm 40:3”
What comes to your mind when you think of spring? Flowers blooming? Leaves sprouting on trees? The start of the baseball season? In any case, spring is typically associated with awakenings or newness. It is the time of year when things grow, blossom, and bloom.
The Bible speaks of newness as well. When someone accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior, Paul says that they are a “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17). The prophet Jeremiah says God’s mercies are “new every morning” (Lam. 3:23). Revelation 21:5 tells us that one day God will make “all things new.”
Another common way the concept of newness is used in the Bible is to declare the praises of God’s intervening work in our lives. Throughout the Psalms we are told to “sing to the Lord a new song” (Ps. 96:1). David says, “I will sing a new song to you, O God,” in Psalm 144. But what does that really mean (especially for those of us who may be more vocally challenged than others)?
Well, let’s focus on the “new” part first. New means original, fresh, or never heard before. It has an element of spontaneity and sincerity. “Song” does not necessarily imply a musical composition, but it has to do with worship, praise, and thanksgiving. To put it simply, a new song, then, is an authentic response of praise to what God has done, or is doing, in a person’s life.
If God has answered prayers in your life, you should sing a new song to him. If God has preserved you and protected the ones you love, you should sing a new song to him. If God has moved, delivered, saved, shown mercy, or granted grace to you, you should sing a new song to him. As you can see, we should always be “singing” because he is always working. We may not all be great vocalists, but we should all be great singers.