Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Psalm 66:1, TLB

I love the awesomeness of being able to access Scripture online, be able to type in a word and have every verse it appears in show up in a list for me. Even more amazing is the almost five dozen english translations I can search.

Psalm 66:1 gives us a simple edict. Sing to the Lord. Everyone. All people. The whole earth. Even creation. Throughout the Psalms, trees, mountains, oceans, birds, every living thing, every thing with breath is called to sing God’s praises. And as we search the Scriptures, we find we are called to sing in many different circumstances.

James 5:13 (CJB)
Is someone among you in trouble? He should pray. Is someone feeling good? He should sing songs of praise.

Colossians 3:16 (CJB)
let the Word of the Messiah, in all its richness, live in you, as you teach and counsel each other in all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude to God in your hearts.

Ephesians 5:19 (CJB)
sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to each other; sing to the Lord and make music in your heart to him;

Acts 16:25 (CJB)
Around midnight, Sha’ul and Sila (Paul and Silas) were praying and singing hymns to God, while the other prisoners listened attentively.

Luke 19:36-38 (NLT)
As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. When he reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen.
“Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!”

Mark 14:26 (NLT)
Then they (Jesus and the Disciples) sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

2 Chronicles 20:21 (CJB)
After consulting with the people, he appointed those who would sing to Adonai and praise the splendor of his holiness as they went out ahead of the army, saying, “Give thanks to Adonai, for his grace continues forever.”

1 Chronicles 15:15-16 (CJB)
and the L’vi’im (Levites) carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles on it, as Moshe (Moses) had ordered, according to what Adonai had said.
David spoke to the chief of the L’vi’im (Levites) to appoint their kinsmen to be singers making use of musical instruments — lutes, lyres and cymbals — to play loudly and raise sounds of joy.

Psalm 13:6 (CJB)
But I trust in your grace, my heart rejoices as you bring me to safety.
I will sing to Adonai, because he gives me even more than I need.

Psalm 28:7 (CJB)
Adonai is my strength and shield; in him my heart trusted, and I have been helped.
Therefore my heart is filled with joy, and I will sing praises to him.

Psalm 42:8 (NLT)
But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life.

Psalm 81:2 (NLT)
Sing! Beat the tambourine. Play the sweet lyre and the harp.

Psalm 87:7 (NLT)
The people will play flutes[a] and sing, “The source of my life springs from Jerusalem!”

Psalm 90:14 (NLT)
Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.

Psalm 126:6 (NLT)
They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.

Psalm 146:2 (NLT)
I will praise the Lord as long as I live.
I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.

When we immerse ourselves in God’s truth, we lose ourselves in the wonder of who He is and what He has done. The Lord rejoices over us with singing (Zephaniah 3:17). How right is the response to return with our own song, for truly, He gives us a new song to sing (Psalm 40:3).

Lift up your voices today and sing to the Lord.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, you have given us ears to hear and voices to raise in praise. Let our hearts be filled with the music of heaven and may your song be on our lips.

Grace and Peace