Singing in Crisis
Turning to God in song
History tells us that when in crisis, the people of God sing. We sing because this is a means for us to look beyond the circumstances we might find ourselves in and in turn, behold God. When we sing about his glories, his goodness and his wondrous deeds, our hearts and minds are shaped by him. We realign our worldview to his, our introspective bent becomes tuned to his desires, our faith is strengthened and we sense his nearness to us.
In 2 Chronicles 20, the Israelite army under King Jehoshaphat, when facing impossible odds, chose to bow down before God in worship instead of bowing down to the encroaching enemy. They went into a battle, which they had no earthly chance of winning, and declared aloud in song, “Give thanks to the Lord for his steadfast love endures forever”. This was their declaration of faith. In the midst of their crisis and their response in song, God was at work. They experienced God’s victory and deliverance. His steadfast love and faithfulness was made known toward them.
In addition, as one reads through the Psalms, one is struck by the levels of crises experienced by the Psalmists. From national disasters to personal grievances, the Psalter is a song book for crisis. It is a place to present our deepest needs, pains and requests to God; a place where we can apply the Word of God to our own hearts to see faith and hope arise from the ashes of despair.
The situation we find ourselves in at the moment is no different. It presents us with the need to sing songs of God’s faithfulness towards us, his commitment to his people, his worthiness of praise and the beauty of the gospel of Jesus. Singing from our hearts is one means of grace to express ourselves before God and spur our faith in him. Let us not neglect to raise our voices before Him in this time, to acknowledge his sovereign goodness and the riches of his glory in Christ.
Give thanks to the Lord for his steadfast love endures forever!
About this song
This song titled 'How Long?' comes from Psalm 13 and the book of Habakkuk. It begins with the question of 'how long?'. It is a lament of pain and sorrow. The questions about God's apparent absence, the suffering we need to endure, the justice that we long for form the ground upon which the song starts.
But like most Psalms, bringing our grievances to God is an opportunity to turn to Him in faith and to have our hearts and minds shaped by the truths we express. We turn our eyes to his steadfast love and his faithfulness. We sing to Him for he has been good to us.
This song is a declaration that our hope rests in the goodness of God - his goodness in the gospel - that Jesus has borne our sins, our suffering, our pain, our shame upon himself...and that he will come back again to right all wrongs and to bring ultimate justice! And in this, we place our trust!
How Long?
Aidan Spencer, 2020
(Psalm 13; Habakkuk)
Verse 1:
How long, O Lord? How long O Lord
Must pain be our refrain?
When will our sorrow be forgotten?
When will our darkness be gone?
How long?
Verse 2:
How long, O Lord? How long O Lord
For you to right what's wrong?
When will your kingdom come in power?
When will your justice be done?
How long?
Pre-chorus:
We turn our eyes to you
We turn our hearts to your steadfast love
We turn our eyes to you
We turn our hearts to your faithfulness
Chorus:
We will sing to the Lord
For You've been good to us, good to us!
We rejoice in the Lord
For You've been good to us, so good to us!
Bridge:
What great mercy that you died for us
You bore our suffering upon the cross
You took our pain and there you paid the cost
You're good to us
Sin and death are vanquished in your name
Now we wait for you to come again
When every knee will bow and tongue proclaim
You're good to us, in You we trust
Article by Aidan Spencer. Aidan is a 2nd Congregation elder. He and his wife, Niki, lead the music ministry at Redemption Hill Church.