Have you ever confidently started singing a song and then half way through just totally forgotten either the words or the tune – or even both? It is strange that we can have ‘memory black holes’ like this”¦ where part of a melody, or part of what we were meant to be doing can just seem to vaporise into thin air”¦

One of the funniest sketches I have ever seen, is the first part of the epic scene Rowan Atkinson does with Richard Briers in the link below☺

The Bible tells us in Zephaniah 3:17 that God rejoices over us with loud singing. He never forgets the tune, or the words that He sings over us. His singing is loud and strong and exultant. I LOVE that about Him! Can you imagine the words in the song He is singing over you?

“You are mine! You are loved! You are chosen! You are free! You are forgiven! You are precious! You are redeemed! You are anointed! You have purpose”¦”

I have no doubt that God has such vocabulary when He thinks about you. The Bible is full of such truths about you. God does not sing “You will be… “He sings “YOU ARE!”

It is wonderful when I get to visit other churches and hear something of the “heaven song” being sung over them. My family and I were at City Church in Newcastle at the weekend. It was such a special service and the people were incredibly welcoming. But what really struck me most was the “God song” that was being sung and made manifest over them.

I felt that God was singing of salvation, glory and His presence. Partly this was due to the atmosphere of worship that (Jesus and) Ken Riley had set up”¦ and partly it was the preach, (again by Jesus) with speaker and author, Nick Cuthbert. (He is the sort of preacher that makes you glad you have a pen and lots of paper handy.) I got so excited as I tried to share some of what I had picked up this with the church leader, who of course had no idea who this crazy woman garbling about his church was. He smiled at me lots. It was as if I was telling him something he already knew.

Last night, as I was going to sleep, I had another picture of their church. I saw them going out across Newcastle and inviting in all those they saw in the streets”¦ those in wheelchairs and with crutches and special need of any kind; the emotionally bereft; the struggling, and the socially lame. I asked God what was happening and He reminded me of the story of the Great Banquet.

I felt God was inviting them to include the lowest in society, the lowliest, the forgotten and the marginalised. The old, the young, the poor and those society counts as ‘voiceless.’ These are, of course, the people Jesus chose to hang out with so often. I believe He genuinely enjoyed their company too. “Blessed are the poor in spirit for they SHALL SEE GOD.”

There is sometimes fear about having such people next to you in church. Their lives are messy and broken and they bring their hurts in”¦ but these are those who need the church the most and often have the strongest ministry with others.

These are those who change most dramatically when they hear, understand and receive the gospel. These are those who have the deepest impact into the darkest places of society. How does God reach a gangland criminal? How does He reach a drug dealer? How does He reach a suicidal mother? Hardly ever through a well-worded sermon”¦ often instead through a walking story”¦ a living-breathing- -Holy-spirit-indwelt-Christian being LOVE in that place. Through you and me, living alongside them, being the sound, shape and smell of God.

Some of the most moving times of my ministry have been times when I have just been able to sing over someone. That’s all. Just sing. I have seen the power of God at work so many times through something as simple as that. Singing God’s words over someone reminds them of WHO they are and how valuable they are to God. It can reawaken the spirit as “deep calls to deep”.

Perhaps God is singing His song over the city of Newcastle so that it will, in turn, share that song with those who have never heard the words, or the tune meant for them?

I pray so.

And what about you? Have you taken time recently to tune in to what God sings over you? Or have you thought that those words were always for someone else?