Isaiah 38:20 
“The LORD will save me, 
and we will sing with stringed instruments 
all the days of our lives 
in the temple of the LORD.” (NIV)

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King Hezekiah knew this: when God makes a promise, he keeps it. 

The king heard the wonderful news that God was extending his life by 15 years. The first thing he did was to go back to God in prayer, giving him thanks and praise. 

He had received the bad news that he was not going to recover from his illness, that he would, in fact, die. He then turned in prayer to God and reminded him of the kind of life he had lived. He was faithful. His devotion was whole-hearted. He had done what was good in God’s eyes.

God had sent Isaiah to give him the bad news. Now he turned Isaiah around and sent him back with good news. In response, Hezekiah wrote this prayer, which begins in verse 10 and continues through verse 20. Verse 20 is poignant. Hezekiah had a song he could sing for the rest of his life. 

What’s your song? 

I recently discovered Jazz Psalms and Blues Psalms on YouTube. You can also find Folk Psalms. There’s a musical genre for every kind of psalm. The different styles help us give voice to the condition of our hearts. 

Sometimes, like Hezekiah, we simply cannot praise God enough, and sometimes, like King David, we wonder if God has forgotten all about us. Between the highs and the lows, there are a whole lot of other thoughts and feelings, and ways of expressing ourselves through singing. 

There are minor key songs. There are orchestral songs. There are simple songs best played on a simple stringed instrument. 

I’m guessing most Mondays begin in minor keys. Saturdays? Saturdays are at their best when they are light and lively. 

What kind of day is it for you today? Aren’t you glad there’s a song you can sing to God with all honesty, knowing that he will receive it for what it is and transform it into what it should be? 

Sad is the soul that never turns to song. Express yourself to God. Use all the talent you’ve got and all you can borrow. Write your own words. Use those that have been used from generation to generation to tell the stories of hearts on display before God. 

As for me, I’m going to sing every day. I’m going to sing as I pray. Sometimes I will sing with tears, and sometimes I will sing with so much joy that I hope everyone hears. 

Sing with me. Something about singing together makes us feel more deeply the true condition of our hearts. God welcomes our songs. He is preparing a choir and an anthem, better than anything ever written or performed. The song of the ages will drive the blues away forever. 

Listen for the trumpet. 

Look up. 

Lean in to listen. 

This is gonna be good. 

—

I will sing the song of my heart in the worst of times, in the best of times, and in the most ordinary times. 

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Our Father, thank you for giving us the gift of song. Thank you for when we are at our lowest, that we know you hear us when we pray. On ordinary days with our ordinary praise, we know that you receive it. In those special days when everything seems right, and nothing could possibly go wrong, we lift our voices to sing most strong. Again, Hallelujah for the gift of song. Amen.