Singing My Song

SINGING MY SONG UNTO THE LORD

Years ago I frequently picked up my grandson after school. One time he chattered away as I drove along.

“MiMi, you know what my favorite song is?”

“No, what is it, honey? Sing it for me.”

“I can’t sing it.” Then he started saying the words. So I started singing it back to him. I couldn’t see his face, since he was in a car seat in the backseat, but he asked, “MiMi! How do you know my song?”

“His song” was written in 1989, twelve years before he was born. We sang it in 1995 for the March for Jesus. By then, many churches were singing that song, Lord, I Lift Your Name On High. The CCLI organization records which songs  are sung by large congregations each week and ranks them according to usage. In the top 100, Lord, I Lift Your Name On High is still being sung today.

I consider myself a pioneer in praise and worship music. Back in about 1979, while shopping in a Christian bookstore, I found a songbook called Scripture In Songs, published in 1978. We had already been singing scripture choruses in our church, so I bought two. The organist and I asked if we could use these songs and that began my entry into the praise and worship movement.

I can worship God by singing in any style of music—country gospel, contemporary, blues, jazz,  high-and-holy hymns. I can worship God anywhere, anytime, in any situation, surrounded by other Christians or alone in my living room. I can sing to a tape, while playing the piano or autoharp, or singing acappellaw—without  instruments.

In Ephesians 5:19, Paul said, “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”

Just give me a good song, as long as it is a song with Bible-inspired words and a singable melody. I am a singer, born to worship the Lord in song.