Don't Lose Your Song

DON'T LOSE YOUR SONG

ARM prison outreach ministries newsletter story, "What would it take to make you lose your song?", by Lester Roloff. "Let me ask you a question. What would it take to make you lose your song? Could you sing in the jail? The Lord taught me to sing in the jail one night. I didn’t plan it, but the Lord did, and I sang.

That was a dark night. That was one of the hardest nights of my life. The devil pressed in that night to get my mind, to wreck my body and to disturb me with the rock&roll and heavy-metal racket that was playing on three or four radios there in the jail. It was a horrible time, but the Lord said, “Why don’t you sing? Why don’t you just sing? Sing to Me.”

Let’s not allow anyone or anything to cause us to lose our song. My dad used to whistle a song, in times that were bad and hard with crop failures and low priced cotton. He’d come from the cow pen, whistling his favorite anthem—"In the Sweet By and By.” He’s over there now.

Can you sing in times that are hard and bad? Mother used to stand at the old west porch, with her hands way down in wash water in a number 3 and a number 2 tub, with homemade lye soap cut up in it, washing the dirty clothes of her boys and her husband. All the while singing, “Sweet Hour of Prayer, That calls me from a world of care, And bids me at my Father’s throne, Make all my wants and wishes known.”

When I’d come home I’d hear her in the kitchen on those old fashioned linoleum floors. We used to have nothing but plank floors, but we got some linoleum, and I remember how cold it was in the winter time. I’d come running down that long hall and dash into the heater room to put my clothes on. She’d be singing, “What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear!” Oh, her songs were so pretty!"

What could cause us to lose our song? The loss of a loved one? After Job buried his 10 kids it says in Job 1:20-21 that he fell to the ground in worship and said, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." Some believe he didn't say this, he sang it.

What could cause us to lose our song? Imprisonment? Financial setbacks? A major accident? A serious health condition? Do we find ourselves singing praises in the storm? In the moment of tragedy mourning and sorrow are inevitable but what about after the initial impact? Do we retain our praise? Do we still have the song that was in our heart before the burden took place? We need to make sure we don't lose our song.

1) Jesus and the disciples didn't lose their song.

Mark 14:17-26, "When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.” They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely not I?” “It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. “I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God.” When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives."

It's understood that the hymn they sung was a composition from Psalm 113-118 that was common to sing at Passover. Many of these Psalms begin with, "Praise the Lord", "I love the Lord", "Give thanks to the Lord".

We might picture their sadness and melancholy mood in these last hours before Jesus' arrest, torture and crucifixion and we wonder if they were thinking something like, "praise him for what? Give thanks for what? We're losing our teacher, our leader, our rock, our closest friend. And we're supposed to find the strength to sing?"