I Sing Because...

The refrain of the hymn “His Eye Is On The Sparrow” contains this wonderful lyric, “I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free, for His eye is on the sparrow, and He watches over me.” This strong statement of faith tells exactly how the world is ordered for the faithful: we are blessed by Him, who is the Protector and Source of the blessings, and the only proper response for us is to sing! 

God’s people have always been singers. In the Old Testament, David appointed Levites to sing and “raise sounds of joy” to the Lord. (1 Chron. 15:16), and in the psalms people were implored to sing scores of times. In Ps. 104:33,34, this same spirit of faith is expressed: “I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; As for me, I shall be glad in the LORD.”

Today, the people of God sing knowing that our Savior sings with us. As Jesus sang with His disciples before going to prepare for His crucifixion on our behalf, “And after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” (Matt. 26:30), and the prophecy of Ps. 22:22, quoted in Heb. 2:12, says “He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, ‘I WILL PROCLAIM THY NAME TO MY BRETHREN, IN THE MIDST OF THE CONGREGATION I WILL SING THY PRAISE.’”

So we sing our “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with [our] heart to the Lord” (Eph. 5:19), as we are “singing with the spirit and the mind” (1 Cor. 14:15), remembering this instruction: “Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praises.” (Jas. 5:13)

Thus we follow the easiest instruction that God ever gave to a grateful and faithful people — we sing! As the prophet Zechariah said so long ago, “Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” declares the Lord.”