Bob was a guest soloist at the church. He could not believe what he just heard. Bob was accustomed to an occasional "Amen" after a performance. At times he received mild applause, or even a kind note, but a call for an encore! ? Bob was flabbergasted.Bob basked in the warm glow of praise for just a moment, then nodded to the accompanist and launched into his song with gusto. No sooner did he complete the last note than a voice cried out a second time, "Sing it again, Bob!"
This time Bob was ecstatic! "They love me," he thought. Like Josh Groban before a Super Bowl audience, he gave performance number three everything he had. When the music softened and Bob sounded his final note, the voice rang out again: "Sing it again, Bob! Sing it again until you get it right!"
Have you ever been in Bob's shoes? Have you ever felt like you have given your best, but your best just wasn't good enough? Maybe it wasn't good enough to please a boss, a coach, a parent, a spouse, a child, or some other audience? If you have felt that pain, God has some good news for you:
Do not lie in wait like an outlaw at the home of the godly. And don't raid the house where the godly live. They may trip seven times, but each time they will rise again. But one calamity is enough to lay the wicked low. (Proverbs 24:15-16 NLT)
Solomon wrote to those "critics" who tried to sideline the godly. He wanted these enemies to be fully advised: "You can't keep a good man down." The reason? The godly person's climbing partner is God. Solomon's warning to the wicked is encouragement for the devoted. Each of us can muster the courage to "sing it again" because every time we fail God is there to pick us up, dust us off, and help us to try once more.
Don't let criticism silence your song. Pull off that muzzle, take a deep breath, and sing it again!
STAY FOCUSED TODAY:When you hear a song on the radio, while riding on an elevator, or in some office waiting room, make it your reminder to sing it again!