{"id":3799,"date":"2010-04-23T09:42:52","date_gmt":"2010-04-23T14:42:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/buddymartin.net\/blog\/?p=3799"},"modified":"2020-01-10T17:19:45","modified_gmt":"2020-01-10T17:19:45","slug":"songs-of-the-mirror","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buddymartin.org\/blog\/2010\/04\/23\/songs-of-the-mirror\/","title":{"rendered":"Songs of the mirror…"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

x<\/span>– You go to bed a little troubled. You wake up\u00a0still unsure about how to handle a situation. You are standing before the\u00a0mirror in the bathroom, and for some unknown reason, you begin singing.\u00a0You now find yourself with an uplifted mind. What happened to bring about\u00a0this change? You didn’t just decide to start singing. The song just sort of\u00a0arrived! But where did it come from? –<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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J<\/span>ournal,<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps we need to talk about this. Does Jesus ever sing over His own? What a strange question. Most of the pictures we see of Jesus are about his sufferings. Do we ever see a picture of Him joyful? Actually, there are Scripture references to Jesus singing and even dancing. We will look at this area a bit later. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But it does seem that someone decided we needed a picture of Jesus full of laughter and joy. Here it is. <\/span>\"\"<\/a>
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And this brings me to another question. What does the Bible mean by <\/span>‘a song of deliverance’<\/span><\/em>? Are songs of deliverance a part of our walk with the Lord? <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Let’s pick up with a thought from David:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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“Blessed be the Lord, because He has heard the voice of my\u00a0supplication. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in\u00a0Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall\u00a0thank Him<\/span><\/strong>.” Psalm 28:6-7<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Here David speaks of his <\/strong><\/em>song.\u00a0In another place, David draws attention to another kind of song.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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“You are my hiding place; You preserve me from\u00a0trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.<\/span><\/strong><\/em>“<\/em> (Psalm 32) <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Here David draws attention to songs that have their origin in God Himself.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Psalm 32 is a Psalm of correction and repentance. Note some of the beginnings of this Psalm: <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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“When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.”<\/span><\/em> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Then David adds, <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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“I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’; and You forgave the guilt of my sin.”<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Hence the song of cleansing.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

And here is where David speaks of being surrounded with songs of deliverance. David’s\u00a0songs of deliverance came when his thoughts were directed to the Lord, and his heart changed through his repentance. And so it is with us. [By the way, the apostle Paul quotes from this Psalm in saying, “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered.”<\/span><\/em> Rom4:7]<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

OK, back to the now. Sometimes our minds are troubled because we have failed to correct a <\/span><\/span>situation. We convinced ourselves of our rightness. <\/span><\/span>Isn’t it amazing how we can justify ourselves<\/span><\/em> to <\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span>ourselves?<\/span><\/em> And yet we go to bed troubled in mind. And we wake up with a troubled mind.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What happens in front of the mirror? If you are a man, you are possibly\u00a0shaving. If a lady, you are making your face even more lovely. The point\u00a0is that we are now facing yourself. It is in this quiet moment that the musings of the\u00a0heart begin. The Holy Spirit begins reflecting on our heart. Our thoughts go to, “Boy, I\u00a0had no right to do what I did. It was wrong. I was wrong.” <\/em>\"\"<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Conviction is at work. <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Conviction is a <\/span><\/span>judicial word where the guilty person is forced to face <\/span><\/span>the facts and is then left without a defense. When the pang of guilt is <\/span><\/span>felt, the work of conviction is being completed. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This is the spiritual <\/span><\/span>side of the working of repentance. <\/span><\/span>We feel sorrow in our heart. We are sorry for the misdeed and we ask the Lord’s forgiveness. (By the way, it doesn’t have to take place in front of a mirror does it.)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Back to the song? The song is a cleansing release from the burden of <\/span><\/span>our misconduct. We now have a heart of repentance. The song is a song of our <\/span><\/span>deliverance. It is a song brought to bear by the Holy Spirit. This is what David is describing in Psalm 32.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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I like to call these songs ‘Songs of the Mirror.’<\/strong><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What does that mean? In my case, much of my daily musings take place at the mirror. But it doesn’t have to be a case of repentance. Sometimes it is just pure joy springing up and the song overflows.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In any event, the mirror song is the Word of the Lord reflecting itself on our heart. Jesus is speaking to us in our thought life. The song can be a song of cleansing or just an overflowing heart as we think about the goodness of the Lord. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Let me use a play on words where Paul shares how the Lord changes our lives by a special working of the Holy Spirit. Listen:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror<\/span><\/strong> the glory of the Lord, are being transformed<\/span><\/strong><\/em> into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” <\/em><\/span><\/span>(2Co 3:18 NASB)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

In this case, the mirror actually is the Word of God. John also <\/span><\/span>speaks of this cleansing grace. He said<\/span>,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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“If we confess our sins, He is <\/em><\/span><\/span>faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all <\/em><\/span><\/span>unrighteousness.”<\/em> (1Jn1:9)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n


\n <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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There are other aspects to special songs of the Spirit.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Now let’s talk about Jesus singing over us. In one place we hear of the joy of Christ described as a song He sings over the redeemed. Listen – <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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“I will proclaim Your name\u00a0to My brethren, <\/em>in the midst of the congregation<\/span><\/strong> I will sing Your\u00a0praise<\/span><\/strong>.”<\/span><\/em> (Heb2:12) <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Does this not mean that Jesus rejoices in us and with us? Indeed it does. The apostolic writer tells us that Jesus endured the cross because of the joy that was set before Him. Evidently, the heavenly Father pulled back the curtain of redemption and there Jesus saw all the redeemed people of the ages who would be saved because of the cross.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith…<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

“…\u00a0who for the joy set before Him endured the cross<\/span><\/strong>, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”\u00a0(<\/em>Heb 12:1-2 NASB)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a>How do we know it is the redeemed that Jesus is rejoicing over? We hear it in Hebrews 2:13, where Jesus says,<\/span> “Behold, I, and the children whom God has given Me.”<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But we also hear it this joy in Luke 10:21, where Jesus literally leaps for joy over the joy that has been set before Him. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Here is the setting:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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“At that very time <\/span>He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit,<\/span><\/span><\/strong> and said, ‘I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight.'”<\/span><\/em> <\/span>(Luk 10:21 NASB)”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It is very easy to miss what is happening in this picture. Where it says that Jesus ‘rejoiced greatly’ the Greek term ‘agalliao’, literally means to show one’s joy by leaping and skipping. It is a term that speaks of ecstatic joy and delight. In the Septuagint Greek translation of Old Testament, this word is used to describe a rejoicing in song and in dance.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Let me share one more Scripture setting that describes the Lord singing with shouts of joy. It has to do with Israel’s full redemption. (A moment in history that we are quite close to.) Listen carefully:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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“In that day it will be said to Jerusalem: ‘Do not be afraid, O Zion; Do not let your hands fall limp. he LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy<\/span><\/strong>.”<\/span><\/em> <\/span>(Zep 3:16-17 NASB)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

That last statement in the Hebrew language is a very strong rejoicing language. <\/span>“He will exult over you with loud singing.” <\/span><\/em>It even includes the idea of a twirling dance. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Now is the time to think about all this. Do you have need of repentance? Do you need a cleansing in your inner life? <\/em><\/span>Have you had any mirror songs lately? How is your shout doing? When is the last time you felt like dancing out of sheer joy?<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/div>\n
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Now is the time to start looking up. Our redemption is drawing near. The clock is ticking and Jesus said that He would shorten the days for the sake of His people. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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In the meantime take a listen to this Jewish Christian group ‘The Isaacs’<\/strong> as they sing ‘Hallelujah<\/strong>‘. They are singing in the city of Jerusalem. (Did you know that the day is coming with Jews and Christians will sing the same song.)<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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