If you were to drop by my garden unexpectedly while I’m working in it, you’d have a good chance of finding me singing. I’m not warning you ahead of time in order to avoid your calling Animal Control about a bobcat on the loose. I am simply trying to make the point that being close to nature puts a song in one’s heart.
There are many hymns that invoke the sounds and sights of a garden. At every turn in a natural setting, one might find a horticultural treasure that inspires a person to break out in a song of praise.
The pale lavender flowers of the Althea, or “Rose of Sharon,” make me want to sing of Jesus. So does the “Lily of the Valley” for the same reasons; they are used in the Bible, and are in a few familiar hymns of praise.
Is the sky clear? “Blue Skies and Rainbows” come to mind.
Are the lilies blooming? I start humming, “Consider the Lilies of the Field.”
Are there dewdrops on the rose? “I Come to the Garden Alone” begins to play in my head.
What if those roses need deadheading? We are then reminded of “Where the Roses Never Fade.”
Okay, what if the raindrops are falling around me as I try to get things done? “Showers of Blessing” then burst forth from my lips.
You probably do the same. But if your hobby is, for instance, auto mechanics, you might not have as many chances to make associations with spark plugs or an engine mount to a biblical theme in a song. I love my hobby, as it brings joy to my heart and music to my soul!
God asks us to praise him in song, even if our voices do resemble bobcats or coyotes (Colossians 3:16). I don’t pretend to know why God loves our singing, but he does.
We sing when we are happy. It’s only natural!
“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise” (James 5:13, ESV).
But what a joy it is to know that God sings over us!
“The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing”
(Zephaniah 3:17).
Yes, God takes pleasure in our singing, but he also takes pleasure in the fact that we are his own children.
He quiets us by his love, and sings over us! If we ever had any doubt over the Father’s love for us, this verse alone should dispel it. The creator of everything in the cosmos has taken note of us enough to cause a song in his own glorious and awesome heart.
Let the melodies ring!