You Getting It Yet?

I teach 6th grade, for those of you that don’t know, and let me tell you, sometimes, that’s like banging your head against a brick wall.  Here’s a typical start to my day:  “Ok guys, get out your history books and lets look at ch. 12.”  Hand goes up in the front row.  “Mr. D, are we doing history or Bible first today?”  I stare blankly into space, count to 10 three times, and say it again.  Another hand goes up.  “You mean we’re not doing Bible?”

AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!!

I kid you not, this happens daily!  But I realized something this week:  when I sing my instructions to them (especially if I add dance to the song!) they listen!  It’s remarkable!  Yeah, I look like a fool, but hey!  They listen!  It works.

Last night, as I was reading my Bible, it hit me that God does the same thing with us.  Don’t believe me?  Look at the Psalms!  For example, Psalm 106 is a recounting of the trials Israel face coming out of Egypt and conquering the Promised Land.  It tells of all that God did for Israel, and how they quickly forgot Him and did exactly what He said not to do.  Over and over.

So what, right?  Well, having just read through Numbers and Joshua, it hit me that God was doing the same thing with Israel (and us!) that I was doing with my kids:  “maybe if they SING it, they’ll finally get it!”  I mean, c’mon!  Why do you think we sing all the songs we sing at church? At least one of the reasons is that it sticks in our head!  How many times have you left church humming/singing/caterwauling one of the songs you sang during worship?  Hopefully, that song was one that was filled with the truths of Scripture, and it reinforced the Word that was taught to you.  It sticks with you in a way that words often don’t, that funny thing of words mixed with music called song.

So next time you sing a Truth of Scripture like “Great is Your faithfulness”, think of it like this:  God is trying to get across to you, yet again, that He’s “got this.”  It’s more than words and a tune.