Psalm 100 (NKJV)
“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.”
Have you ever walked up to a person, and you couldn’t get the words you wanted to say to come out right? How about wanting to write something down and none of your thoughts wanted to connect? Maybe singing along with your favorite song then all the lyrics suddenly stop coming to mind?
Pretty much all of us have encountered a time in our lives when no matter what we say or do we can’t convey what we want to. It’s like getting writers block when you are not even a writer. Or like drawing a blank during the essay portion of an exam.
There may be many reasons why we may not be able to communicate what we are trying to say or how we want to say it. Being uncomfortable about a situation or who we have to talk to may be at the top of the list. We all have those moments when our mind ceases to function, even those people we know that always seem to want to get the last word in.
I know that I have had a variety of situations throughout my life where I couldn’t speak the way I wanted to. One of the first instances was being tasked with being a trainer. I started out as one of those monotone readers of the written text. It wasn’t until later that I was able to turn into that instructor that had a knack for calling on the person who wasn’t paying attention.
We can all grow in how comfortable we are in front of a room or what we consider a stressful situation. You can see some of this when that star athlete has their first interview. They stutter, stammer, and use um every other word. Then you see them a month later and they look like they have been doing interviews for years.
Some people may want to make fun of this, but they may not be able to open their mouths if it was them. This is why we should not judge anyone in any situation unless we completely understand what they are going through. Then it still should not be judgement, but rather support, encouragement, or comfort.
We all have our own way of expressing ourselves at different times, but can have similar issues as well. We would want support and understanding, not ridicule when the words don’t flow or we can’t explain the thoughts bouncing around in our heads. But besides everything that goes on in our lives there are other things to consider.
When we face those situations, we can easily lose all confidence in our ability to present ourselves effectively. This is what we can feel when we come to the Lord in prayer. We may not know where to start, how to approach Him, or what to say. Everything that may come to mind may seem frivolous, incomplete, or inappropriate to be saying.
We can also have so much going on or are under so much stress that we cannot even grasp onto one thought, let alone putting two words together. When this carries over into our prayer lives, we cannot stay on one subject, bounce around to the point where we forget where we began, or cannot remember what we said.
Even if we found the words or stayed on subject, would God even listen? Jeremiah 29:12-13 give us a place to start, “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” When we search for Him with our heart, it’s just that simple.
Many times, we may be asked or instructed to speak from the heart. Again, it may be easy or difficult depending on the circumstance, but speaking to or praising God should not be. He already knows everything we have done, everything we are feeling, and everything we are going to say, so there should be nothing to stop us.
It’s like walking through a store and you hear a song that you just can’t resist singing or dancing to. I have done this many times, especially when my children were younger, and I didn’t care who was watching.
In the opening scripture it says that we should make a joyful shout to the Lord with gladness and singing. When we seriously look at what all God has done for us, why wouldn’t we want to raise our voice in praise. And it doesn’t matter which form it takes to convey those feelings.
If you are not one to sing, then just talk to Him. It can be in a well thought out prayer, like a conversation with a friend, or just a series of broken comments that don’t tie themselves together. This can be shouted out loud, kept within your mind, or even whispered softly. It is entirely up to you how you do it.
We can also include others in the conversation or praise as in Ephesians 5:19, “Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” When we are making a melody in our heart to the Lord, it has no choice but to spill out to others around us whether they are believers or not.
So, let us be like in Isaiah 42:10, “Sing to the Lord a new song, And His praise from the ends of the earth,” And if you cannot sing, then express yourself however you wish, the Lord is always watching and listening with a smile as we do.
There are so many things I’m trying to say or do just trying to get out,
Sometimes it comes out easy, other times gets so stuck I want to shout.
It doesn’t matter if I speak or write the words don’t seem to flow,
With incomplete thoughts or sentences causing frustration to grow.
The harder I try to focus the direction still wants to go wrong,
Like missing a turn or just forgetting the words of my favorite song.
With so many things I want to express I don’t know where to start,
Lord, how do I put all these words together and convey what’s in my heart?
Dear child, you must find the words and feelings from deep inside,
The ones that always have been there and you can no longer hide.
When you open up your heart and mind to me there is so much to be said,
Then your hand or mouth will follow to where you have been led.
I receive joy whenever you praise me with the songs you sing,
Writing the words I give you, or the peace shouting my name will bring.
Whether it’s a complete message or just a fragment of a thought,
I will always rejoice when I hear you and The Message You Have Brought.
Simple Faith Christian
Copyright 2024
Simple Faith Christian 