2020: Sing

Its path obscured by winding turns and shadowed horizons, the new year stretches out before us. As if we’re facing a bend in a wooded path, the calendar hides its entries from us, only to be revealed day by day as his grace meets us new each morning. 

But around that bend into the year’s unknown, we can “fear not!” For there is Stability that goes before us, a Rock that follows us, and a constant Friend who will be our refuge and strength. So in dependence on that Rock of Ages to be who He says he will be and do what he’s promised he’ll do, why don’t we sing in 2020? Sing to the Rock. Sing in his shelter. Sing to remember that he is with us and near us and loves us. 

What a bold and courageous move to Sing while stepping around that shadowy bend, and I hope I can follow in their steps, those saints of old. For example, Paul and Silas sang. When was that, you say? Oh, their songs were sandwiched sometime about midnight between the beatings and the morning light (see Acts 16). Does that sound about right, fellow Christian? Belting out truth that their current predicament seemed to defy, they believed God’s promises in the dungeon, before they knew the end of the thing, before the rescue, and before the morning light.

And isn’t that what faith does? Faith believes God (his very Bible-words) when our feelings don’t match what he says and the circumstances mock our hope-filled songs. But we hope anyway, because we believe he is who he says he is — a God who rewards those who seek him. We sing in the dark because, although we don’t know what is around the coming bend, we know who is around the bend and that he will be with us as we round it. 

So what songs will we sing as we round that bend? Well, if we’re going to sing in the dark, facing the unknown, we’d better not sing so much of our trembly feelings and our knock-kneed-selves, or we’ll be humming doom and gloom, doubt and the doldrums, won’t we? So instead we look with eyes of faith beyond the bend, beyond the bend after that, and around the unknown that bottoms out before the final trek, and we sing to and of and for The Rock who goes before us, who remains with us, and who is ever for us. 

Jesus is the Rock we hide in, believe in, and sing to. He’s promised that around some bend — we don’t know which — eternal resurrection awaits all who have looked to the crucified and resurrected Savior for rescue and life. So, knowing the coming prize, we sing. In light of the Rock’s constant presence, we sing. Because he rose, we sing. And with sure hope that the Rock is our hiding place and shelter around that next bend, in 2020, let’s sing.

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

On Repeat: listen to some old favorites from Shane and Shane here.