Draw Near – 365 Guides to Greater Intimacy with GodSample

SING A SONG Tradition tells us that Ambrose, the fighting bishop of Milan, introduced singing into the European church. In A.D. 380, the church was rent with heresy. History records that the devout "kept watch day and night in the church, ready to die with their bishop singing hymns and psalms so they would not succumb to weariness and grief." Today we have more than 400,000 hymns in the English language, and new ones are being written everyday. God's Word tells us we are to praise God in song. Much of Christianity's vitality lies in its hymns. When we get together for worship and sing unto the Lord, His Spirit draws us to Himself. Charles Wesley, a great hymnist, knew the power of sacred song. In his pocket hymnal, he tells us how we should sing: "Sing all. Join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not weariness nor weakness hinder you. Sing lustily with a good courage. Above all, sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing Him more than yourself. So shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve of." This is good advice for us. God desires that we worship Him in song. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! Today is a day to sing praises to our Savior.