How Can I Sing a New Song in Grief? (Psalm 98:1)

Prayer
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Praise the LORD, everyone

I don’t know how to express these things, but I’m glad today because GOD has kept me alive in the land of the living, and He forgets not. I was happy and kept working for the company as usual with my daily tasks. But suddenly, my boss called me. I went, and I heard, feeling like an unfair deal about my work. I didn’t say anything to him.

After I came out of his cabin, suddenly my heart became bitter. But I tried to control it through GOD’s words. And I asked GOD, “I’m looking unto you, please help me because you’re the only one who never does unfair things to Thy children.”

After that, my heart spoke this verse: Psalm 98:1-2.

“O sing unto the LORD a new song; For he hath done marvellous things: His right hand, and his holy arm, Hath gotten him the victory.”

I feel blessed when I read this verse, but my heart still carries bitter grief. So, I’m not able to sing a new song, and I’m not able to give thanks unto Him for His mighty and marvellous works because of the grief.

I’m trying to praise the LORD’s name, but it can’t come from my heart. I don’t know how to do it. Does anyone else also face the same situation—working with good integrity but not getting fair deals?

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Friend.
As I read your lament, I felt your loss with you. Bitterness and disappointment are common human illnesses that plague most every human at some points in their life, at least as I have observed this life. Your incident seems coupled with injustice, or possibly persecution, which makes matters worse (I’m only speculating). IN Jesus, a new song can arise from all of our difficulties, but the lyrics change depending on the situation (IMHO). One common refrain in all of our new songs is the giving of thanks, not ignoring our troubles, but because of them. [In all things give thanks]. We have so many biblical examples of people who placed all their dependence on God, being positively affected by difficulties, that they are too numerous to cite here. Jesus taught his disciples to “rejoice” and to “be exceedingly glad” when they encountered bitter persecution because that put them in the same company with God’s prophets of Old (Matthew 5:11) The apostle Paul wrote of “contentment in trials” to his friends in Philippi; his unnatural reaction to his bitter disappointments, actually encouraging them by saying:

“…I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:11-13

Whether we sing a new song of confession, a plea for mercy, a cry for deliverance, or pour out our hearts in lament, our common refrain will be Thanksgiving. Only Christians are able to be thankful in their trials, because only Christians have a sure hope of eternal deliverance from them all. We are unique in that we have been given the key to the gate that opens into the Kingdom of God, Our future glory days so outnumber our current troublesome ones that:

“…we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

This encouraging passage speaks of our “outlook”, our “uplook”; it speaks of our sure hope. We have a hope, not just for ourselves, but a living hope to testify to the hurting world, and we speak most loudly and most comprehensively when we testify out of our own tribulations. Tribulations put us into common arena with the lost and desperate world. Our own tribulations spring into our new song of hope from which the world can “hopefully find The True Hope of the world.

I am sorry for your troubles, but I rejoice in the new song Jesus will put into you through it. Ask Him for that song, then wait expectantly for it. I’m sure the refrain will be “thanksgiving”.

Until that day
KP