I read an article a few days ago by Reggie Kidd that inspired the following. There is a story that Ernest Hemingway once won a bet that he could write a six-word novel: "For sale: baby shoes, never used." There is a huge amount of story and emotion packed into those six words. There are some six-word worship narratives in Scripture that we would do well to remember.
In Psalm 136 we find a six-word refrain in the 26 verses extolling the glory of God as creator of the universe and the redeemer and rescuer of His people. Twenty-six times the narrative flow is interrupted by the words: "For His steadfast love endures forever." We are reminded that in the long haul God will make everything right. Praise to Him!
In Psalm 103 we find the first words of the psalm instructing each of us to "Bless the Lord, O my soul" - important six words in our worship. Another six words are found in verses 3-5 that give us reason for doing so - "forgiven, healed, redeemed, crowned, satisfied, renewed." Now that should get us blessing Him in our worship.
And of course the Apostle Paul challenges us to sing "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs" both in Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16. As we've discussed before there is a variety of expression in worship indicated here. "Spiritual songs" remind us of the freshness and intimate moving of the Lord in our lives, right here, right now. "Hymns" remind us that we are a part of the whole Church in celebrating the centrality of Christ throughout history, crossing generational and denominational lines. "Psalms" remind us of how our story is centered in God's story, serving to keep us growing in our knowledge of just how He works. Praise the Lord for all of these six-word exhortations that so affect our worship experience. mjm
