who sang the first song?
It’s easy to think that missionaries are the holiest kinds of people.
I can’t speak for other missionaries I know, but I can tell you as a missionary, I’ve struggled just as much (if not more) with sin and unbelief as any of my fellow Christians. And I don’t always win.
2018 felt like a spiritual wasteland. If I’m being honest, I was more in awe of sports and television than I was of God. I knew it was barely a shadow of the joy available in Christ, but I couldn’t seem to access it.
I was desperate for wonder.
In November, news broke of a young missionary attempting to engage an unreached people group and being killed in the process – sparking outrage among Christians and non-Christians alike, calling out his foolish and entitled behavior. Some even went as far as to refer to all missions work as “colonization” – which, in my own insecurity led me to doubt my own call in this season. Mission work is hard to explain – sometimes even to ourselves.
What are we doing God? Why are we here? People are paying me to be here, who am I to even call myself a missionary?
The weight of these questions felt crushing in the midst of a dreary season, one consistently lacking in heavenly joy.
On a Monday morning in early December my son invited me (through pointing and grunts) to sit on the bed and read some books (a tiring, yet irresistible activity). He insisted we read “Who Sang the First Song” a dozen times – singer Ellie Holcomb’s new book that his aunt Katie sent him for his birthday.
Who sang the first song? Who hummed the first tune? Was it the wind blowing past the silvery moon?
Later in the afternoon I dragged myself to our base worship, dreading another hour of distance with God in the presence of delighted believers.
As they started to sing I buried my head in my hands and begged God for a sense of wonder. I knew in my head that everything about Him sparks awe, but I couldn’t get there myself. I had searched for it in music and theology books and sermons and still didn’t feel joy in His glory.
It seemed odd to ask God to help me worship Him, but on this day He was abundantly willing.
As I looked up from my prayer I saw the two singers leading a song in perfect harmony. To be honest I can’t even remember what song they were singing, but the way their voices blended together was magic.
And in that moment my vision was transported to heaven and given a brief glimpse of another song being sung. A song so glorious I couldn’t even describe it.
…and day and night they never cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty who was and is to come!’
This most precious and beautiful song was layered with hundreds, wait, thousands, of harmonies – combining to create the most glorious song.
I opened my eyes and saw my South African friend Nadia in the front row worshiping – and with joy realized that on that most dreadful day last June, her mother joined the multitude, and every day since has been singing glory to God in Afrikaans. A few rows behind her sat our base mama, Denise, whose husband is in heaven worshiping in his California English – fully in awe of God’s glory. And a few rows behind me, was my friend Grace – who’s father joined the chorus last year, singing in Mandarin Chinese.
I started to weep as God revealed a wonder too great to even conceive. A song being sung from the dawn of creation that would be beautiful with one language, but with every added language is becoming something too glorious to fathom.
God’s intent is and has always been a complete choir….from every tribe, tongue, and nation.
We often talk of Jesus’ second coming as a forfeit…a back-up plan to a world that just got too bad. Yet Scripture tells us that His return will come in response to all the nations hearing His name (Matthew 24). The time of His return may be unknown, but it is certainly not random. The song being sung in heaven today is more glorious than we can imagine, but it is not yet a full choir.
Many harmonies have yet to join, and to this end we labor.
God deserves glory from every soul in every language – can you even imagine the sight and sound of a song sung by the full choir in thousands of languages and harmonies?
And all these voices are directing the attention to Only One worthy of it.
Oh what an amazing sound, fit only for the True King.
Now we know who sang the first song. God our maker knew all along, that every voice and every thing was born with a song it was made to sing.
Reading Rachel 
This was a beautiful reflection.
The Lord is good to meet us and give us more than we asked when we desperately say, “Help my unbelief.”
Worship soothes our fears and doubts.
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