Why Do We Have a "Song of Victory"?
Whether it's a Bengals win, or the Reds making it to the playoffs, or a prayer being answered, we love to celebrate! And who wouldn’t? All the time, energy, and other resources we invest in moments of winning are paying off. What a gift it is to get to be a part of it!
Throughout the Bible, especially the Psalms, we see this invitation to “sing praises to the Lord!” The Bible has over 400 references to singing and 50 direct commands to sing. In the New Testament, twice we are called to sing hymns, praises, or spiritual songs to each other when we meet. Why is this such a repeated instruction throughout God’s Word? What importance does it hold?
Why should we sing?
So why should we sing? First and foremost, because God tells us to. But he doesn’t just tell us to because he wants to hear our voices, shocking right?! No, he tells us to because he knows that it’s good for us. Kind of like when your mom would tell you to run around the house five times as a kid because you had too much energy. If you didn’t have a way to expend that energy, you were about to get into some trouble! So she told you to do what was good for you. Now, did you have to listen? No, but you sometimes chose to because you knew it would help you feel better. Singing a victory song can be like that. It’s something that God knows is good for us in our walk with Christ.
Not only should we sing out praise to God in victory because he tells us to, or it’s good for us, but because he deserves it. In a victory song, we get to shout out truths about our God and sing them straight to him! We get the opportunity to glorify his name and tell him why he is worthy of our whole lives. What a gift that we get to love God in that way, and that he wants to be loved by us like that! The God of the Universe’s heart begins to warm as we sing praise to him. You want to know why that means so much to God? Simply because of how much he adores you. He wants to hear praises from the lips of his children, especially from the ones who are hurting.
Why do we sing a victory song when we experience so much suffering?
No matter how you are coming into church on a Sunday morning, feeling encouraged, joyful, victorious, or the opposite of all of those, you are welcome at Missio! We also believe that a victory song is important for each person coming in. If that week, God’s presence was obvious and bold, a victory song is a form of praise that may come easily, leading to lifted hands and a loud voice. If that week was full of grief and God’s presence felt fleeting, a victory song is a form of praise that may not come easy, but serves as a reminder of hope- hope in the One who was victorious after experiencing such sorrow.
A song like this can transform the heart of a singer very deeply. Choosing to continue to sing praise in the midst of defeat is choosing to lift your eyes up to the Lord. You are choosing to trust God when nothing in your life makes sense. These times are where we get to test our faith and see the fruit of our relationship with Him. Is this faith something that’s worth pursuing even when it’s hard? Is God worth the cost?
Questions like these give us healthy spaces to wrestle with God. If this is you, be comforted in the fact that many people in the Bible suffered too. David had to flee from enemies trying to kill him. Job lost his family, his wealth, and his health. Joseph had to spend his time in pits and prisons after his brothers betrayed him and left him to die. Jacob physically wrestled with God, left with a dislocated hip and a limp for life. But, he didn’t only leave with that, he also left with a new name.
I’ve been reading the “Story Circle” by John Lenon sold by Hosanna Revival. Lenon begins to break down the name Israel into Ish-Ra-El. Ish means “man” but not just a singular man, man as a group. Ra is the root word for “struggle” in Hebrew. And finally, El is the word used for God similar to Elohim or El-Elyon. So it is three Hebrew words joined together to mean man, struggle, God. Why is this significant? It is not only describing Jacob’s relationship with God, but foreshadowing the struggle that all of man will have with God.
Struggle is normal. It’s okay to feel defeated. But know that it’s not the end of the story. This foreshadowed our struggle, but there are also many ways that our victory is foreshadowed as well. David was delivered and appointed as King. Job’s fortune was doubly restored, he was healed, and received a new family. Joseph was highly favored and promoted to second in command over Egypt. Finally, Jacob was told that the Savior would one day come from his line of heritage. Here, we are reminded that their sorrow is not the end of their story, just as it isn’t for us when we believe in Jesus. Our victory song reminds us of exactly this- that we have victory in Christ! We serve a God who redeems and restores, although we may not be experiencing that fully now; one day, we will. And for now, we get to experience glimpses of it.
What victory are we singing about?
We’ve spent a lot of time talking about why a victory song is important and why we have one at Missio each week, so what is this victory? Why does it shape so much of our faith?
I believe if you knew what Christ’s victory meant, then you would understand why it changes so much for a Christian. The resurrection is such a crucial part of the Gospel because it fulfills the prophecies spoken of our Savior, Jesus. When Jesus was nailed to that cross, the world was confused. Even going so far as to mock him, “save yourself. If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross… He saved others; he cannot save himself… He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him” (Matthew 27: 40,42,43). His disciples were confused. Even Jesus was confused, asking God “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). They had thought that he was the Promised One- the one who would lead them in victory and beat the Romans. But here he lies, breathless on the cross that took his life, blood and water spilling out of his side. Was it all a lie?
What about the one who was to come from the line of David to establish an eternal kingdom? What about the one who was to heal the lame, open the eyes of the blind, and free the captives? What about the one who was coming to rescue God’s people? All this time, the disciples (the ones closest to Jesus) thought Jesus was the promised one, but now they weren’t so sure. They stood defeated.
But they had forgotten what Jesus told them- that the temple would be destroyed, but raised back up in three days. They couldn’t hope for the victory because they were so distraught by his death. But, friends, we have hope because the victory has happened! When Jesus rose from the dead and rolled back the stone, our victory was revealed. When he appeared to the disciples, they said, “It is the Lord!” Peter even “threw himself into the sea” to get to the shore where Jesus now stood, resurrected. “Now none of the disciples dared ask him, ‘Who are you?’ They knew it was the Lord” (John 21:12). Now, they knew he was who he said he was.
When we sing of his victory, we sing along with the disciples in confidence. We cry out “My Lord and My God” along with Thomas as we place our finger into the mark of the nails (John 20:28). We get to join in the tears of Mary as she yells out “Rabboni”, teacher, when Jesus reveals his resurrected self (John 20:16). Our eyes become opened at the table where Christ takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it and we recognize him for who he is (Luke 24:30-31). We get to join in song with the saints of old as we shout of our victorious Christ!