WHEN I DON’T FEEL LIKE SINGING

I want to paint a picture for you. It’s Sunday morning and you’re getting ready to go to church. You and your wife have spent the last hour getting the kids out of bed. They’re screaming and crying and you’re exhausted. You pull into church, get them checked in, and finally get into the auditorium halfway through the first song. The worship leader is encouraging everyone to sing, but after the morning you’ve had, you really don’t feel like it.

            This is a common situation for many people. Maybe it’s something else. Maybe it’s been a hard week. Maybe you’ve lost your job, or had an argument with a spouse or a loved one. It can be hard to come in and sing praises to God when you’re in the midst of trials. We come in tired or hurt by life. Sometimes we wonder why we would praise God and sing to him when all of this is going on in our lives.

            Hebrews 13:15 says “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name”. What does it mean to offer a sacrifice of praise? A sacrifice means it costs us something. We praise God not because we feel like it. We praise God because He is simply worthy of it. We profess of his greatness and worth. This can sometimes feel like a sacrifice! It can be hard. But to praise God despite our feelings helps us to unite our hearts to His. It reminds us of the great work of Jesus in our lives. It reminds us of the hope we have in Jesus name.

            So, I encourage you, the next time you come to church and you don’t feel like singing, or you’re dealing with the weight of the world, sing even louder. Offer a sacrifice of praise to the One who has saved us, to our God who is worthy of it all!

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
    his greatness no one can fathom.

Psalm 145:3