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FREEDOM TO SING (2 CHRONICLES 5:1-14)

REFLECTION

The theme for our reflection is the freedom to sing. Freedom to sing means having the liberty to make musical sounds with the voice. We shall reflect on the fact that once upon a time, singing in the temple was a preserve of a selected few but now all have the freedom to sing.

Beloved in the Lord, after King Solomon had finished building and consecrating the Temple, we are told the Ark of the Lord which represented the glory and presence of God among the Israelites was placed at its designated place in the Holy of Holies. “The priests then withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions. 12 All the Levites who were musicians —Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives—stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. 13 The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever.” (2 Chronicles 5:11-13)

Dear friend in the Lord, gone are the days where only a select few were consecrated to serve the Lord, sing and play instruments in the Temple. Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross has brought us closer to God and consecrated everyone to worship God in His Holy Temple. We now have the freedom to sing songs to praise and adore Him in His Holy Temple. We are assured in Hebrews 10:19-25 that “…, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another —and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” When meet together in a fellowship or in the house of God, some are given the mandate to sing special songs as musicians and choristers and others have the responsibility of reading and preaching the Word of God. However, there is one duty we all have in common: the freedom to sing in unison to the glory of God. You don’t need to be an instrumentalist, a church musician or a chorister to sing in the house of God. So long as you have a voice, you have the freedom and the responsibility as a worshipper to join other worshippers in singing to praise and adore our living God. It is rather unfortunate that some worshippers or Christians come to Church without their hymn books. Some stand idle when songs of praise are being sung. It is not uncommon to see some Christians on their phones and some chit-chat while the congregation is singing and praising the Lord. In fact, we are greatly encouraged as believers to be “… be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:18-20)

Beloved in the Lord, let us be focused in the house of God and fully participate in every activity required of us during the worship service. Let us be guided by Paul’s admonishment, “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial.” (1 Corinthians 6:12). We have the right to be on our phones and not pay attention or join others in singing to praise God during worship service but the question is, are these things spiritually beneficial to us and pleasing to God? I pray that we shall not abuse the freedom given to us in the house of God but will use this freedom to serve the Lord and sing to the glory of His Holy Name. It is instructive to note that when we sing from our hearts in one accord, we shall experience His presence in our midst. This was evident when, “…the temple of the LORD was filled with the cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God.”(2 Chronicles 5:13-14). Let us not underestimate the power of singing and praising the name of God as a family and a fellowship of believers. The benefit is immeasurable.

In summary, we have discovered that once upon a time, singing in the temple was a preserve of a selected few but now all have the freedom to sing. Let us sing to the glory of the Lord until our last breath.

PRAYER

Holy Spirit, fill our mouths with songs of praise day and night and may we never grow weary of praising God. May we experience Your power and presence in our midst even as we sing songs of praise and adoration to the glory of the Lord. Amen