Have you ever found yourself singing the same song or set of songs over and over? Perhaps, in church services you’ve found the same songs are repeated week and after week. Do you find yourself thinking, I want to sing new songs, or I wish they would sing new songs? The Bible clearly says, “Sing to the Lord a new song” (Psalm 149:1), and Jesus taught us to avoid vain repetition (Matthew 6:7). Are you concerned, perhaps you are offering vain repetitions? Take heart and don’t be dismayed more than likely, you’re not offering them up at all. Unless of course, you are being vain in your worship before Him. However, if you’re concerned about it, then more than likely you’re not.
Here’s the deal: Scripture does not tell us how long we are to sing a new song. After all, He put a new song in our mouth (see Psalm 40:3). You might even sing that one the rest of your life, and more than likely you will. Do you realize each occasion you sing a particular song; you sing it differently than any other moment? It is never identical. The same thing pertains to musicians: they never play the same song the same way. Oh sure, they may sound identical, but they’re not. There are different emphases in the way songs are sang or played. Thoughts behind them differ in each instance. Even when you listen to a song from a CD or MP3, you will hear it differently each time, even though the music plays identically on each occasion. Of course, it may vary in sound quality based on different devices and conditions; but that aside, the same song may take on new meanings to you. Similarly, when you sing the same song onto the Lord, you may find yourself placing different emphases. You might stress an aspect of praise to Him more than another. The next time you sing it, you may underscore something else. Either way, you are singing it as if it is an entirely new song.
It’s about worship and connection. It may be that certain songs help you connect to God more than others. Furthermore, Holy Spirit may lead you in the apparent same direction because God loves and wants to heart it again. It may be at that point you are in better touch with His heart. God’s mercy endures forever, and yet, His mercies are new every morning. Thus, the same song is new every morning. Clearly, this the case when you are chasing hard after God; however, if you depend on a song instead of Holy Spirit to lead you, it can become a ritual. Chase after Him and listen to our Counselor, then watch what happens to that “same old song!”
