Out of the Heart

Imagine...

The king has commissioned you to the most dangerous job in the nation.

Had it been any other man, you’d think he’d completely lost his mind. 

However, this man, this king of yours, is a follower of the God of Israel and has proved himself a leader worthy of following. 

But still...a job of this caliber is frighting. Butterflies quake in your stomach; your hands sweat. Doubt continues to creep about inside your mind. 

“Really? Is God really serious about this?” 

Your friends, those destined to join you in your mission, stand about just as nervous and uncertain. 

The morning sun edges above the horizon and bounces off the surrounding hills and rocks of the wilderness. Time is ticking.

“Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem...” 

The king is speaking giving final commands to his army. 

But they aren’t regular orders. They are words of encouragement and a reminder to believe...

Believe. Yes. That’s the only way. 

The most difficult part of the battle is won in this instance. The war between belief and doubt. Doubt has no room in the heart of belief.

A smile breaks across your face. Memories of how God has led before strengthen your heart. The smiles of those around your assure you they think the same thing. 

Yes, God is worth following. He has given the victory. The battle against the enemy hasn’t be fought, but you know it’s as good as won. 

Running to take your place before the army, hope and courage well within your very soul. 

No, you aren’t a general. 

You aren’t a commander of any kind. 

You don’t even have a sword... 

You are a singer. 

There’s nothing between you and the enemy army. The soldiers of your country are behind you. 

Only music, only the voice of praise goes before you. 

This isn’t the sound of timidity, but of intrepidity born from the knowledge of the beauty of holiness. 

And those are the genre of songs you sing. The voices of your friends swell with yours as you march into the wilderness to prove God right. 

“Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever!” 

This is something worth singing about...

“It was a singular way of going to battle against the enemy’s army–praising the Lord with singing, and exalting the God of Israel. This was their battle song. They possessed the beauty of holiness. If more praising of God were engaged in now, hope and courage and faith would steadily increase. And would not this strengthen the hands of the valiant soldiers who today are standing in defense of truth? PK 202.1

So often we think of Jehoshaphat’s singers flippantly, forgetting theirs wasn’t the job to covet. These people had to exercise the greatest amount of faith of all those tested in this trial. 

Singers are warriors in the battle of today. Singers must have characters possessing the beauty of holiness. 

Out of the heart the mouth sings...

Can our hearts sing the songs of holiness?