WE HUNG UP! Hang up and count to three?
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THE MYTH OF THE THORN BIRD? There is a legend about a bird that only sings once in its life. The legend of the THORN BIRD’S SONG is the sweetest song ever sang on this earth. The suggestion is the THORN BIRD is silently searching from the moment it leaves the nest for a thorn tree. When the THORN BIRD finds the branch with a long sharp thorn the bird IMPALES ITSELF and while dying the bird rises to SING A MOST BEAUTIFUL SONG IN EXISTENCE… BUT THINK OF THE PRICE… The legend says: God in heaven smiles for the best song known to the world is brought on by the cost of great pain… the agony brings on a wonderful song. Seems we all have something inside that we refuse to release. We all desire to sing our own song until we get to the point that we understand GOD’S PLAN AND GOD’S PURPOSE. When the thorn impales the song becomes real. The best song is released by the ECHO OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. WHAT DOES THE BEST COST?
IT IS VERY SAD BUT LIFE HAS A TENDENCY TO GET US TO HANG UP ON THE OPPORTUNITY TO RELEASE GOD’S PLAN.
HANG UP: TO DELIBERATELY DISCONNECT… a hindrance or obstacle that keeps from progress or growth, a problem or difficulty that a person seems unable to deal with, to hang from a hook, hanger, etc. TO END THE CONVERSATION, cut the connection.
TEXT: Psalm 137:2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
Job 35:10 But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night;
Job 35:10 (MSG) But never give God a thought when things go well, when God puts spontaneous songs in their hearts,
HAVE WE HUNG UP ON GOD? WE LIVE IN A HARD, DIFFICULT DAY… WHAT CAN VENGANCE, ANGER AND SADNESS RELEASE IN YOUR LIFE? YOUR FOCUS AND THOUGHT PATTERN COULD AFFECT THE ATTITUDES OF THE SONGS YOU SING? IT MIGHT BE HARD TO SING WHERE THERE IS NO PEACE, NO JOY AND NO HOPE…
There has been a song long sang in the church… you might know the words very well? Remember the old Hew Haw song: GLOOM, DESPAIR AND AGONY ON END… DEEP DARK DEPRESSION, EXCESSIVE MISERY, IF IT WEREN’T FOR BAD LUCK, I’D HAVE NO LUCK AT ALL…GLOOM, DESPAIR AND AGONY ON ME… Has this song become our THEME SONG?
The Jewish people were in EXILE under the BABYLONIAN RULE. The Jewish people were homesick and remembering the LOVE and longing for the “GOOD OLD DAYS.”
The Jewish people also knew how mean, violent and cruel Babylonians were to them. Jews were hated to the point that infants were dashed against the rocks.
ISRAEL WAS BACKSLIDDEN… THE PEOPLE HAD BEEN WARNED TIME AND AGAIN… THE PEOPLE REFUSED TO REPENT AND CHANGE… GOD HAD SENT THE ASSYRIANS AND BABYLONIANS TO PUNISH ISRAEL FOR THEIR CHOICES OF SIN AND CORRUPTION AGAINST THE PREACHERS, THE CHURCH AND THE WORD OF GOD…
BIBLE HISTORIANS SUGGEST THAT AT LEAST 20,000 MEN WERE EXILED. THIS DOES NOT COUNT THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN. Syria and Babylon were cruel nations. Being in a strange land, captives, slaves…
Psalm 137:1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. 2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. 3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
4 How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land?
LET US GET REAL, HOW DID WE GET HERE? SIN! DIVORCE! The joy is gone… SEEMS WE ARE CRYING A LOT? We cried and cried, remembering the good old days in Zion. How can we play our musical instruments --- WE HAVE HUNG UP… WE have hung up our instruments and tools of our praise and worship…
GUESS HOW CRUEL OUR ENEMIES ARE? Our captors are demanding us to sing. They are sarcastic and mocking demanding us: "Sing us a happy Zion song!" For our captors demanded a song from us. Our tormentors insisted on a joyful hymn.
HOW CAN WE PLAY MUSIC, PRAISE AND WORSHIP GOD… we are in a strange land… HOW CAN WE SING, we sing by emotions not by faith.
This could be a great opportunity to witness and repent. Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem. WE HUNG UP… WE ACCEPT --- WE HAVE NO JOY. How can anyone sing the songs of the LORD while in a pagan land? WE REMEMBER ZION. We are an apostate church and nation.
LET US STUDY BRIEFLY THE EMPEROR PENGUINS…
If you ever study the EMPEROR PENGUIN LIFE JOURNEY you will understand how important SINGING is to them. EMPEROR PENGUINS LOVE TO SING. When the emperor penguins are courting the male and the female BOW and SING to each other. The female sings a beautiful song. She sings short, soft and gentle songs. The male sings loud and long. This continues for days.
When the mother penguin is singing continuously and when she has laid her egg, she keeps singing her beautiful soft song. She walks away from the nest to head toward the ocean. She sings on her long journey. The momma stays gone about 2 weeks. She is feeding and storing food in her system. She gets stronger and stronger. All the while she is singing her beautiful song. After her feeding time the female emperor penguin returns to her egg, she sings and sings. She finds the male and their precious little egg by listening for the familiar song the male sings.
While the female is gone the male keeps the egg off the ice and snow by allowing the egg to rest on his feet to insulate the egg from the cold. While the male penguin stands in the cold he sings and sings and sings. Day after day the male sings until the female returns. When she returns she places the egg on her feet. They sing a beautiful duet together.
The male heads toward the ocean. He has not ate in 2 weeks. He listens to his mate sing as he leaves for the ocean to gain nourishment. As the male leaves he and the female sing and he waddles away singing loud and long. He returns to the nest area singing. The female hears his song and welcomes him home by singing to him. Now both the female and male are strong and soon they prepare for the little one to hatch. They are singing the whole time.
Shortly before the little one is hatched one can place your ear near the egg and listen closely YOU CAN HEAR THE BABY EMPEROR PENGUIN SINGING ITS SONG EVEN BEFORE THE LITTLE ONE HATCHES…
DO WE HAVE A THEME SONG? OUR ENEMIES AND TORMENTORS WANT TO STEAL OUR JOY, HOPE AND PEACE… HOW CAN WE SING WHEN EVERYTHING IS GOING WRONG?
MY UNCLE HOMER SANG: Smile awhile and give your face a rest, raise your hands to the one you love the best, then shake hands to those close by and smile, smile, smile.
At Uncle Homer’s funeral my oldest uncle Johnny asked people did they ever hear HOMER SING? One by one friends passed by the family. Johnny would ask: DID YOU EVER HEAR HOMER SING? WHAT DID HE SING? Every co-worker or friend answered the same way. “SMILE AWHILE AND GIVE YOUR FACE A REST…
A SONG IN THE NIGHT REQUIRES FAITH…
Psalm 77:6 I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.
Psalm 149:5 Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.
WOULD WE HANG UP WORSHIP, PRAISE AND OUR SONG WHILE WE ARE LOCKED UP…COULD WE SING THE JAIL HOUSE ROCK?
Acts 16:25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
DON’T HANG UP, SING UP FRONT… PRAISE FIRST… YOU HAVE TO MARCH AROUND THE WALL AND PRAISE GOD FIRST…
2 Chronicles 30:15 Then they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the second month: and the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought in the burnt offerings into the house of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 20:17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.
2 Chronicles 30:21And the children of Israel that were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness: and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day by day, singing with loud instruments unto the LORD. 22. And Hezekiah spake comfortably unto all the Levites that taught the good knowledge of the LORD: and they did eat throughout the feast seven days, offering peace offerings, and making confession to the LORD God of their fathers.
Conclusion: Birds don’t sing because they know the answers. A song bird sings because they know the song. DON’T HANG UP… KEEP SINGING… KEEP PRAISING… KEEP WORSHIPPING.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com Check me out on YouTube or Face Book.
