Tuesday, October 12, 2010

New Song

“And I heard a sound from heaven like the roaring of a great waterfall….” Revelation 14: 2a

Jamila jolted me with her phone call. “Joy, I made a list of everyone whom I need to forgive. I think it’s done now. I’ve forgiven everyone. I made up some new songs in my language and sang them to God. The words are very beautiful. I hope He likes listening to them. I want to make up some more new songs.” I was shocked and overjoyed. Now that is a new song! The old song was wearing on me considerably. I had listened to an old song at nearly every Bible study time for about fifteen years about the desire for revenge or punishment by God on a long list of people who had hurt or insulted her. I don’t understand the words of her new songs but God does. I’m quite sure He is thoroughly enjoying them.

Jamila is spiritual first fruits in her family line. It’s a miracle in itself that she responded to the love of God. She came from a terrible background of domestic violence and cursing. Hating back was a familiar old song. Wow! There’s no greater joy than to hear good news like that. It was music to my ears.

I want to sing a new song to God also. There are probably not too many who really want to learn it. It may be incomprehensible to them. Revelation 14: 1-3 describes 144,000 set apart people singing a new song before the throne of God and no one could learn it but them. I want to break forth with a new song about salvation, transformation, and reconciliation of Muslims with God. The title of my new song is: “God loves Muslims and so do I.” I want it to sound like a beautiful rushing roaring waterfall coming right from heaven. I want the roar of the waterfall song to drown out the old familiar song about fear of Muslims. I’m pretty sure God loves listening to this new song. He’s singing it, too. I’m just joining Him(and others who have learned it) in singing it. I want the spraying mist of the cascading waterfall song to fall on an audience who can’t learn it to drench them with the life-giving water of the Holy Spirit.

Ed and I visited Niagara Falls for our honeymoon thirty six years ago. It was foggy and I wasn’t able to view the waterfalls clearly. I missed seeing their beauty, although I could hear their roar. Friends had raved about the falls but I wasn’t able to catch their full enthusiasm for them. This summer we visited them again and there was no fog. Now I caught the breath-taking beauty. We stood at the railing admiring the mighty waterfalls and soaked up the mist of the far reaching spray. What a roar of music the waterfalls made.

Dear heavenly Father, please release a new song from the depths of my spirit of your unlimited love for Muslim people. Let it be like the sound of rushing waters from your waterfall in heaven cascading down upon this earth. In Jesus' name, Amen.