Loving God's Word the Deuteronomy WaySample

Sing it: Theology Leads to Doxology

Last fall, my father was unexpectedly diagnosed with terminal cancer, and he lived just three weeks and one day more. As I drove to his visitation, Joni Eareckson Tada’s encouragement to sing through suffering came to mind, so I sang.

“I need thee every hour, most gracious Lord…”

“Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father, there is no shadow of turning with Thee…”

“What is our hope in life and death? Christ alone, Christ alone…”

I didn’t have words to express my sadness, but in the depths of my soul, I was led to praise God, even in my pain. Especially in moments like these, our theology, or what we believe about God, matters. When we consider the words the biblical writers penned, we see that they too praised God, even in difficult circumstances.

Take, for example, Job, who lost everything, but responded by saying, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will leave this life. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). Consider David, who longed to worship God in the wilderness and said, “My lips will glorify you because your faithful love is better than life. So I will bless you as long as I live; at your name, I will lift up my hands” (Ps. 63:3-4). Or Habakkuk who prayed, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit on the vines … yet I will celebrate in the Lord; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!” (Hab. 3:17-18). And Paul and Silas who were imprisoned yet praying and singing hymns to God and the prisoners heard them (Acts 16:25).

How is it possible to sing God’s praises, even in great hardship? They praised Him because they knew Him. They knew of His steadfast love, His faithfulness, His mercy, and His justice. They knew He was all-knowing, all-sufficient, ever-present, all-powerful, and infinitely wise. And they knew that they were part of a much bigger story—the story of God redeeming a people to Himself for His glory through His Son, Jesus Christ. They praised Him because of His glorious grace.

And by God’s grace, we can soak in this beautiful story and know more of His character and purposes through His Word too! As we come to know more of who God is, we will be led to worship and adore Him! And no matter what we face, if we are in Christ, we can take heart knowing that the story ends well. One day, we will dwell with God, where there will be no more grief, crying, and pain. This is truly good news! May we read it, see it, say it, and sing it so that all may hear of His wondrous works.

Pray: Ask God to let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, so that you may teach and admonish others in all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your heart to God.

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