Have you noticed? The world is singing!

As I write this, we find ourselves in the serious grip of a pandemic of COVID. Social media is filled with videos this past week. Of people fighting over toilet paper — and of people singing in large stores about the awesomeness of God. A friend of mine, who has led worship for Christians for years, posted a video of herself still worshiping in her living room, and inviting us to join her. Even the quarantined folks in Italy are singing to one another from their balconies.

What is going on? The Spirit is stirring. He is always stirring, but usually mankind is not so visibly united in sharing their response to something that is confronting everyone alike.

When I asked the Lord what was on His mind this morning, He said, “Psalm 98.” Let’s look at it together, shall we?

Psalm 98

1 Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.

People are singing to the Lord because they have a history with Him. They have Bibles full of stories of God’s awesome acts on behalf of His people in times of need. They have personal histories filled with moments of God’s goodness. And they can’t keep quiet about it. And when something comes that threatens to obscure what they know about their awesome God, they banish it with remembrance and celebration of the God who never changes.

2 The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.

3 He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

The Lord isn’t shy. He has shown Himself in every nation. He has revealed to the whole world the way of righteousness, and the way of salvation for those who have no idea how to get to that place.

Salvation from what?

From every evil work of man’s enemy, the devil, whose mission is to kill, steal, and otherwise destroy their lives. God offers to save man from every evil, including the bits that have crept into their hearts, hitchhiking on the backs of “good things.” It only comes one way, and that is through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Those who have cried out for truth have met Him.

Those who have hungered for goodness and love have been found by Him.

Those who have gone to their knees in faith of His existence, in honor of who He is, in trusting His Word, have reason to sing. All the time. Even now.

4 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;

5 make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing,

6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn —shout for joy before the Lord, the King.

7 Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.

8 Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy;

9 let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.

And then there is that last verse.

Honestly, people who have never known or acknowledged God are now talking about His judgment. That’s not a bad thing — unless you have thumbed your nose at God all your life. The people who have reason to sing have discovered that God is good, that He is a shelter, even from their own flaws, failings and sin. That coming to Him isn’t about judgment, it is about coming home, and being loved beyond all imagination.

The ones who aren’t singing, are noticing those who are. The ones who are afraid, and need to know where the true Shelter is, are listening. Like a lighthouse guiding a wayward ship safely to shore, your song of praise can be the sound of salvation that God is singing out to the world.

Yes, God comes. When He enters the room, His very Presence, His pure righteousness judges the hearts of men.

We’ve all felt that — felt judged in the presence of someone we know to be incredibly moral, without hypocrisy, and full of integrity. They don’t have to say a word or look at us sideways, and we feel judged anyway, as we see ourselves in contrast.

We sing because when God came and we first felt the sting of His righteous judgment, he held out His arms and said, “Come, and I will cleanse you and cover you in my righteousness until you learn it from my Son.”

Go sing your hearts out, people of God. Don’t condemn the world, condemn the evil. That, beloved, is what God is always doing. While holding His arms out with the invitation to come home.