The Bible repeatedly encourages the people of God to \u201csing a new song\u201d:<\/p>\n
Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts (Psalm 33:3, ESV).<\/p>\n
Oh sing to the Lord a new song (Psalm 96:1, ESV).<\/p>\n
Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! (Psalm 98:1, ESV).<\/p>\n
Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly! (Psalm 149:1, ESV).<\/p>\n
Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the end of the earth (Isaiah 42:10, ESV).<\/p>\n
To some, this means being open to new music in worship services, but others practice\u2014and recommend\u2014singing spontaneous prayers to God, in both private and public settings.<\/p>\n
Carrie, a friend of mine who lives in Missouri, describes learning to sing new prayer songs like this: \u201cI would begin by singing a song I was learning then would find myself singing out of an overflow in my heart. Things I didn’t plan to say\u2014and sometimes didn’t even know\u2014would come pouring out of my mouth. I started to understand the Bible in ways I never did before. Connections between different stories and words in Scripture began to be apparent as I sang them. I found the Word intertwining with my heart and mind like never before. Later I would open to a psalm or to another Scripture that was on my heart, pick a few chords on my guitar, and just sing it as a launch pad. I would put up my sail and see where the wind would take me. Almost always I ended up somewhere I hadn’t planned on being. It was exhilarating.\u201d<\/p>\n
Judy, from Ohio, says a key for her is keeping it simple. \u201cI open my mouth and just start singing. My songs are a thankful expression from my heart. Sometimes I sing Scriptures and songs from church\u2026. Just as a child might say, \u2018I love you, Daddy, more than the whole wide world,\u2019 I sing the thoughts the Holy Spirit gives to me. And usually I can’t find the perfect words of adoration to express my thoughts, so I sing in the Spirit and rely on Him for the language and tune.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel, a worship leader from Florida, says she grew up in a church where singing spontaneous prayer songs was encouraged, so she began at a young age and has practiced it ever since. She offers a few simple pointers for anyone who wants to try singing a new song:<\/p>\n
1. Ask God to put a song in your heart. Pray for the grace to \u201csing a new song\u201d to Him.<\/p>\n
2. Start with a psalm or Bible prayer and put a melody to it. If you play an instrument, play and sing. A simple three or four chord progression works well.<\/p>\n
3. As you sing it, turn it into a prayer. Use your own words. Expand on the thought. Begin to dialog with the Lord about what He’s saying through that passage.<\/p>\n
4. Don\u2019t be afraid of simplicity and repetition. Sometimes repeating a single word or a short phrase helps you to let go and focus and give your heart over to the song. And something changes.<\/p>\n
5. If it feels awkward at first, stay with it. Be patient. Don\u2019t give up. The song itself isn\u2019t the point; the presence of the Lord is. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Bible repeatedly encourages the people of God to \u201csing a new song\u201d: Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts (Psalm 33:3, ESV). Oh sing to the Lord a new song (Psalm 96:1, ESV). Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":30680,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[251],"tags":[30],"ppma_author":[465],"class_list":["post-24081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to-pray","tag-prayer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n