Divine Singing

May the mind of Christ, my Savior,
Live in me from day to day,
By His love and power controlling
All I do and say.

Whenever I'm wheeling through the office, down the hallway, or driving down the freeway, or puttering in the backyard, sitting in the kitchen, I love to sing. I wake up in the morning, I love to sing, my heart wants to sing whenever I'm enjoying the routines of life. But have you ever wondered if Jesus sang? It's so easy to picture him singing, isn't it? Humming a melody as he walked up the road from Jericho to Jerusalem. We know they sang in the synagogues. During the holy feast days, Jesus' family probably sang. There must have been many, many times that the Lord's heart filled with joy to overflowing and you just know he had to let loose with a song. So... where in the Bible does it say that Jesus sang?

The only place it records such a time is in Matthew 26:30. The scene for the song is not on a sunny hillside... it's not as he sailed with his disciples in the boat... it is not as he walked along the beach with his friends. It was in the Upper Room the night that Jesus was betrayed. 

Matthew 26:30 says, "After he broke the bread and offered wine, they sang a hymn and then went out to the Mount of Olives." Of all the times and places, the Lord Jesus chose to have us remember him singing is as he was led off to his death. This speaks to me in my wheelchair. It shows me how to follow the Lord in song when my heart is heavy, when I'm facing disappointment, or when my back aches, or when I'm facing hardship or illness, or just another day of paralysis. Because as you and I follow his steps up to the Mount of Olives, into the Garden of Gethsemane, down the road to Calvary, we, too, should take up our cross and sing. Our natural inclination is not to sing when we are hurting. Yet think of the apostle Paul who sang, despite his chains, being in jail. So, friend, no matter if your emotions are up or down, follow the Lord's lead today. May the mind of Christ your Savior live in you from day to day and ask God to simply put a song in your heart as you pick up your cross daily and follow him.

Music: May The Mind of Christ, My Savior  Words: Kate B. Wilkinson, Music: Arthur Barham-Gould    Public Domain

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