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Ready to Worship Season 7, Episode 14 for Friday, May 25, 2018
On this season of Ready to Worship, we are examining songs that help to prepare our hearts for worship. In this episode, we are examining the old song, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. No doubt, you remember how the song begins.
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy, never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise.
I love the words “tune my heart to sing thy grace.” For sure, this is a prayer that we all should pray as we approach God in worship. The strings of our hearts need to be tuned so that we can offer our best song to God.
Transcript
On this season of Ready to Worship, we are examining songs that help to prepare our hearts for worship. In this episode, we are examining the old song, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. No doubt, you remember how the song begins.
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy, never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise.
I love the words “tune my heart to sing thy grace.” For sure, this is a prayer that we all should pray as we approach God in worship. The strings of our hearts need to be tuned so that we can offer our best song to God.
I don’t know very much about musical instruments. However, I do know that stringed instruments have to be tightened. They have to be tuned. On many occasions, I have watched my son tighten the strings on his guitar. Sometimes, it was just one string that needed adjustment. Other times, it was multiple strings. Usually, the strings just needed to be tightened, but occasionally, they needed to be replaced. As you know, strings stretch and lose their tone over time. They need to be tightened to give the perfect sound. Of course, the strings of the human heart require the same tightening and tuning. On one occasion, Ezekiel pleaded, “Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (Ezek. 18:31). The hearts of Ezekiel’s people were out of tune. Sin had stretched and broken the strings. They needed a new heart and a new spirit. God was tuning their hearts through the teaching of Ezekiel.
To the saints at Ephesus, Paul wrote, “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Eph. 5:19). Likely, you know that the words “make melody” come from a single Greek word that refers to plucking on a string. Don’t get nervous. The instrument is identified and/or specified in the verse. It is the heart. We are to sing and to pluck on the strings of the heart. The parallel passage in Colossians speaks of singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord (Col.3:16). As you know, grace is unmerited or undeserved favor. Thus, to make melody in our hearts is to sing with grace in our hearts and to sing with grace in our hearts is to sing with great feeling and emotion. Sadly, like other instruments, the strings of the heart can get loose over time. They can lose the sharp, rich tones that they once had. They need to be tuned to sing God’s grace. Let me recommend tuning them by praying and meditating on the word of God. The Psalms and the Gospels seem especially appropriate sections of Scripture.
As we get ready to worship this week, let’s tune our hearts to sing God’s grace. His unceasing mercy calls for songs of loudest praise.
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