Instruments of Worship

Psalm 33:3 and a Special Announcement! | Ep. 33

• Casey Rinkenberger • Season 2 • Episode 33

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SURPRISE!! The Instruments of Worship Podcast is now offering two brand-new music tote bags! These bags are practical, beautiful, and designed to be a daily reminder of worship. The verse on the front is Psalm 33:3: “Sing a new song to Him; play skillfully on the strings, with a joyful shout."  My hope is that these bags encourage your heart with Truth when you need it most—and that they shine as a light to those around you in your music circles. I’m so excited to finally share them with you! Check them out here!!

Also, would you kindly take a few minutes to fill out this anonymous survey about the Instruments of Worship Podcast? Your feedback would help me so much as I continue shaping the show. Thank you.


Discussion Questions - Try discussing on your own or with a friend in our Facebook Discussion Group 

  • Why is joy an important part of our worship? 
  • Have you ever experienced the difference between joy and happiness? If so, what did you learn from that experience? 
  • Why is it important to play skillfully on our instruments? 
  • What are things that seek to steal your joy when you are rehearsing, performing, or practicing?  What are they?
  • What attribute of God from Psalm 33:4-9 encourages you the most today and why?


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SPEAKER_00:

Hi friends, my name is Casey Rickenberger, and I am so excited to welcome you to the Instruments of Worship Podcast. This is a podcast dedicated to encouraging and equipping classical musicians to apply the name of Jesus with their instruments and also their lives. Before I get into today's topic, I have a quick request for you. Would you kindly stop listening and go to the description to take a survey for the Instrument of Worship Podcast? This will only take care of short minutes and it's completely anonymous. But your feedback is so valuable to me as I keep creating podcasts for y'all. So please go ahead and check out the description for a link to that survey. Thanks so much for inviting me to do that. That is so helpful. Now, if you follow me on Instagram, you may have known that yesterday I teased up an announcement for today. And I'm here to tell you what that is. The Instruments of Worship podcast is now selling two different music tote bags. Yay! So exciting! The hope for these music bags is that they will encourage you in worship and spread the light of Jesus as they are viewed by the watching eyes around you. I had a lot of fun designing these, and I'm figuring out all the logistics of selling and making products online. But I pray that God will be glorified as these music bags make their way out into the world. The verse on the front is Psalm 33.3, which says, Sing a new song to him. Play skillfully on the strings with a joyful shout. So in today's episode, I hope to encourage you from Psalm 33 and give you a peek into the heart behind this new venture. So let's get into it. I first want to start by giving you a little backstory. How did I come up with the idea to do these music bags? And first of all, I've always wondered what it sh if I should do some sort of merch for the podcast or not really quite sure what that would look like, but it's always been in the back of my mind. And one day I thought that most musicians carry around music bags. I have lots of students with them. I see them all the time in my studio. Just because we have so much stuff to carry around with us, legitimately. I know that I use one not just for my music, but for a water bottle, my in-ears if I'm playing at church, a snack usually, my keys, and just whatnot. It's so much easier to keep everything in one place, and I think musicians know that, but you need kind of a tote bag because it it needs to be larger than normal to be able to carry all that stuff. But honestly though, there's not a lot of music bags that I could find that were one attractive to me, and two, I couldn't find really any that were faith-based. So I just thought, what a missed opportunity. Since most musicians have music bags, it'd be great if we could use that necessity for good to show off the Lord and to encourage the owner of the bag, but also those who might see it. Okay, so now I want to tell you how I picked this verse. Just a little side note for you. I thought it was cool that today's episode is the 33rd episode of the Instruments of Worship Podcast. Just so happens to be that. And the verse on the bag is Psalm 33.3. I just discovered that as I was honestly prepping for this episode. That was not planned. But one of the reasons I had thought of Psalm 33.3 is that I had always had it on a piece of paper in my violin case. I'd always had that written out, and I enjoyed seeing it whenever I opened my case. It's a succinct way of reminding the Christian classical musician of truth. And it had to be succinct because, you know, you only have so much room on the front of a bag or on the products you design, anyways. But it was also helpful because it's just such poignant reminders that speak right to our circumstances. Whenever we open our case or step into a rehearsal, it speaks right to the Christian classical musician. So I want to talk a little bit about what Psalm thirty three might teach us, starting in verse one and going on a little ways. So the beginning of Psalm thirty three starts Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous. It is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the Lord with the harp, make music to him on the ten string lyre. Sing to him a new song, play skillfully and shout for joy. So that's Psalm thirty-three, verses one through three. And this is just such a beautiful call to worship. In my research, we don't in my research I found out that we don't really know who wrote this psalm or necessarily why, but it is certainly enlightening to how we might worship as musicians. Psalm 33 1 says, Sing joyfully to the Lord you righteous. It is fitting for the upright to praise him. So we're gonna break that down a little bit, starting with sing joyfully. Joy is at the heart of our worship and our praise. If we didn't have joy in our worship, I'm not quite sure what we're doing. And when I say that, I don't mean that worship is always happy. Remember that joy is not the same as happiness. That happiness comes and goes with our circumstances or when our circumstances change. And so happiness is then like just a buoy. It rises and falls with the waves of life. But joy is more like an anchor, it is steady and grounded despite what happens to us or around us. And that is because joy is rooted in something so much greater. It's rooted in who the Lord is and what he has done for us. So our worship doesn't have to look happy, but it should include a heart of joy rooted in who the Lord is and what he has done for us. Joy can be present in a big grin of excitement or a soft smile of contentment. It can be present in the tears of sorrow on the worst days or that energetic drive that you get on the best days. And that's because Hebrews 13 8 tells us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So even though our circumstances may be ever changing, Jesus and who he is, God, never changes. Their attributes stay the same, and those attributes are good and awesome, and we're gonna talk about a few of those later. But our circumstances may change for the better or for the worse, but Jesus is always the same yesterday, today, and forever. I've said before in another podcast that somebody had told me once that thankfulness equals joy, and it's so true. Praise and rejoicing comes from a heart of joy and gratitude for all that God has done and for who He is. Therefore, like the verse says, it is fitting to praise Him. Charles Spurgeon explains to us what we praise that may not be so fitting. He says, To rejoice in temporal comforts is dangerous. To rejoice in self is foolish. To rejoice in sin is fatal, but to rejoice in God is heavenly. So it is only right and fitting to praise God. To praise self or to praise sin or to rejoice in comforts is foolish and will never satisfy. But to rejoice in the Lord is so fitting. It it just makes sense that we would rejoice in him as a response to who he is and what he's done. Now moving on to Psalm 33, 2, it says, Praise the Lord with the harp. Make music to him on the ten string lyre. So we see instruments introduced here. This is so cool. Of course, worship is all about the heart, but sometimes instruments can be used to even stir our hearts towards greater worship. Like Gary Rhodes said in episode eight, music expresses something deep in the heart of man. So instruments or music can be a tool for greater worship. And I think that's it's just I don't know about you, but as a musician, it's just cool to hear that in scripture. Now getting to Psalm 333, which is on the tote bag, it says, Sing a new song to him. Charles Spurgeon says in his commentary of Psalm 333, let us not present old, worn out praise, but life and soul and heart into every song, since we have new mercies every day and see new beauties in the work and word of our Lord. Some people respond to God's daily mercies with literally a new song created in praise, and that is so cool. And maybe more of us, especially as people who know music well, should be willing to try this. A new song does not have to be polished or impressive just from the heart for the Lord. But certainly new songs are always going to be written about the Lord because his mercies are new every morning, every day, every week. He is just faithful to us and and we get to know him and experience him in a deeper way. So of course our heart's response may be in a new song. But for some people, maybe they respond to God's daily mercies just renewed in praise to God. And that is great too. Either way, whether it's a renewed heart of praise or creating a new song, either way, praise is in the middle of that. Praise is at the heart of that. Praise Him regardless. The next part of Psalm 333 says, play skillfully on the strings. Barnes notes on the Bible says that play skillfully on the strings means literally do well to play or do well in playing. That is, do the work well or with all the skill of music. So work well. Do your best. This is not the first time I've brought up this verse, but Colossians 323 says, Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. So do your best is unto the Lord. Seek to play with skill, not carelessness or incompetence. Charles Spurgeon also says, It is wretched to hear God praised in a slovenly or careless manner. He deserves the best that we have. The Lord must have a full octave, for all notes are his, and all music belongs to him. Where several pieces of music were mentioned, we are taught to praise God with all the powers which we possess. So with all that we have, we do our best for his glory, not our own. It's easy to get caught up into wanting our own glory, but as Christians we have a higher calling. It's to glorify the one who truly deserves that, and that is our Lord and Savior. We can praise the Lord with our instruments, which is awesome, but do your best, do it skillfully, and that's a charge and that's an encouragement that we might need every day as we go into the practice room. Do your best when you go into a performance, just do your best. He doesn't ask for perfection, but he does ask us to do it skillfully as unto him, not as unto us, but unto him because he is deserving of our best. So that's certainly a good reminder to have on the tote bag as well. And the last reminder is with a joyful shout. Do all of this with a joyful shout. Some translations say a loud noise or a shout of joy or with rejoicing. All three of those still imply the same thing. That whether it's the volume of your singing or the heartiness in your heart, it is natural for worship to express itself through us in abundance, not in a whisper or a whimper. As instrumentalists though, we may not shout or even use our voice while we play. If you're a vocalist, that's great. But some of us may not be, we might be instrumentalists. And either way, it always comes back to the heart. Are we playing out of joy and gratitude or are we playing just to get a paycheck? With a grumbly heart, always comparing and maybe wishing you were somewhere else? And so I came up with a list of things that might steal our joy as we play. And this was easy for me to do because I've thought and felt these things, and so I'm the first who needs to remember in all circumstances to play out of joy and gratitude. But here are some things that might steal our joy. I know I've experienced them, and maybe you have too. The first one I thought of is comparison. Comparing yourself to other people, and maybe it's wishing you play like them or be as liked as them, whatever it may be, comparison. Another one I thought of is discontentment. This one's huge. Maybe it's you wishing for better music making or discontentment with where you're sitting or which part you're playing. Maybe it's wishing you were anywhere but that rehearsal. Or maybe you don't like the music or the conductor's style. It is far easier to find something to be discontent with sometimes, and so we need to put in an effort to be content with where we are, where God has placed us, it's with intention, not by accident. And again, similar to our joy, if our contentment is in the Lord, then even if our situation really isn't that great, legitimately, still doesn't mean we get to be discontent. If our contentment is in the Lord, we can be content even in the worst of circumstances. But again, it's so much easier to find things to grumble about than to find things to be grateful for in the midst of some of those hard circumstances. So to remember that discontentment can really steal our joy. So pursue contentment and joy and gratitude over that discontent heart that we may have sometimes. Another one is anger or frustration with those around you. Maybe it's the conductor, your section leader, your stamp partner. There can be a lot of emotions involved in the music making. And when people aren't ruled by the Holy Spirit, it can be hard not to jump on board with the high emotion, the frustration, the gossip, those sorts of things. And we all are opinionated at how we want the music to sound. So maybe it's your stand partner isn't playing like you are, or maybe you disagree with your section leader, or your conductor's patterns aren't clear, or the stand behind you is rushing you. Again, we can still choose to have contentment in those situations and choose to have joy instead of just giving in to the anger or annoyance or frustration. And the last thing is just maybe embarrassment, like the fear of man that goes into plant being a musician, it's big. And so embarrassment or shyness or that sort of thing can definitely steal our joy that you're embarrassed when you mess up, so it's hard to keep going. And the psalm never says anything about playing perfectly, like I said before. It just says do it skillfully, do it to the best of your ability. No one is perfect besides Jesus. And so don't let embarrassment steal your joy either. Just do your best as unto the Lord. So that's my list. I'd be curious if you have any other thoughts on that. So leave leave a comment in the description below if you do. But let's not let these things or more steal our joy as we play. We have so much hope and contentment in the Lord, and I want to remember to dwell on that when I play, not whatever sinful thought just floats into my head and my heart, to take every thought captive and to remember the truths about who God is in the midst of it. And so we're gonna talk about that next. Why? Why is it fitting to praise him? Why should we sing a new song, play skillfully, and with a joyful shout? So I'm gonna read on in Psalm thirty three. This is verses four through nine. It says, For the word of the Lord is right and true, he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice, the earth is full of his unfailing love. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars, he puts the deep into storehouses, let all the earth fear the Lord, let all the people of the world revere him, for he spoke and it came to be. So if you are struggling to find things to be grateful for, struggling to have joy, start with this list of amazing works of the Lord and give thanks to him for it. Rejoice. I'm gonna just go through that a little slower, take it bit by bit. God's word is right. There literally is right and wrong, and everything that God says is right. Next it says God's word is true. There's so much comfort and joy knowing that there is supreme truth in the world. Not truth that is based on our feelings or our fleshly human state, but an ultimate authority in what is true. His word is truth. It is reliable, never lying or deceptive. We can trust what God says and we can always know that it is right. That is already just a huge comfort right there. Next it says God is faithful in all that he does. He is loyal, steadfast, devoted in all that he does. He's not like those around us who may be unfaithful, disloyal, untrustworthy, insincere, the list could go on. People will always fail us, but God is faithful. You can always cling to that. Next it says God loves righteousness and justice. God loves what is right, and although people, organizations, situations may not be just, God is perfect justice. He's not an unfair God. He is just in all his ways, and he is a righteous judge, so we don't have to be. Next, the earth is full of his unfailing love. To be loved is such a core need for children and even adults. We were made for this connection, but it is never perfectly exemplified in the people of this world. We may get a glimpse of it, but it's never the perfect fulfillment. And that hurts sometimes. It leaves us feeling empty. But God is love. His love never fails, it says, and there is not a limited supply of this love that we covet. It fills the earth, is what it says. Its quantity is endless in the Lord, and this satisfying love is available to us. That is certainly a reason to be grateful and to have joy. Next it says, by the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry hosts by the breath of his mouth. And this just speaks to God's power, his creativity. My God is the God who speaks and it is. With a word, God created everything. All that is around us is either created by God or created by someone who was created by God. He is big, mighty, all powerful, and there is nothing that he cannot do. He gathers the waters of the seas into jars, it says, He puts the deep into storehouses. The oceans that we have only explored ninety five percent of, he knows them all, and they obey his command. What is so vast to us he easily contains. Charles Spurgeon says vast reservoirs of water are created in the bowels of the earth, from which issue our springs and wells of water. What a merciful provision for a pressing need. May not the text also refer to the clouds and the magazines of hail and snow and rain, those treasures of merciful wealth for the fields of the earth. So he's just saying he puts the deep into storehouses. He gives us water when we need it, and we can always trust that he will provide. Lastly it says, Let all the earth fear the Lord, let all the people of the world revere him, for he spoke and it came to be. So may we fear, respect, highly esteem, revere, praise, exalt the Lord, the creator of heaven and earth, and the universe, all of it. He is the God who speaks it and is, and the God who Psalm thirty-three, four through nine describes to us. We can be so grateful that all these attributes are found perfectly in our God forever. He doesn't change. This is just who he is. Rejoice that this is our God. Lift him high when you sing joyfully at church on Sundays, and lift him high as you live your life, as you work at your vocation, as you play your instrument in the practice room, rehearsal room, or performance. Whatever it may be, lift him high because he is worthy of it. So the hope for these soap bags is twofold. Of course, I hope that it is a reminder of the truth we just talked about, a reminder to have joy, worship, and keep doing your best, especially in our classical music circles. But like I said before, I hope that it is a witness to the watching eyes around us. May our relationship with Jesus not be a secret identity anymore. Let's not be afraid to stand for him, even if that's just taking a music bag that happens to have a Bible verse on it. Most of the time it's pretty easy to identify who or what someone worships, whether it's money, power, prestige, popularity, influence, relationships, whatever. But may it be impossible to know you or me without knowing who we worship. We worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the creator of it all, and the only true God. And we won't do this perfectly. I know I haven't and I never will, but there is grace for that. Through the Holy Spirit and the Lord's grace, we are being sanctified a little bit at a time. Second Corinthians three eighteen says, and we all with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. So behold the Lord's glory, and he will transform you from the inside out. And I just pray that for the people watching, they would know that we love Jesus and they would see the impact that he has made in our life. We are a new creation in Christ and that he has transformed us and continues to transform us even when we're not perfect to look more and more like his son Jesus. Alright, so if you are interested in purchasing one of these music bags, you can find the link in the description below. It will take you to Shopify and you can pick from one of the two options that are there. I will say the timeline of these bags is intentional since I thought they could make great Christmas gifts. So of course I hope you enjoy them yourself, but if you have other friends who may like them, don't wait to order them so you can enjoy gifting it to them for Christmas. And the selling of these bags is for a limited time. They will not be available past January first, so I encourage you to grab them while you can. So I want to close today by reading you a quote from Matthew Henry on his commentary of Psalm 33 3, which says, What a pity it is that this earth which is so full of the proofs and instances of God's goodness should be so empty of his praises, and that of the multitudes who live upon his bounty, there are so few who live to his glory. So sadly, I think we all see this to be true. You look around at the world we live in and it's empty of praise from those who inhabit God's beautiful creation. We live within the abundance of all he has done, and still many live for their own glory, not for God's good and right glory. But may that stop with us. May there be a resurgence of praise and worship to the one true God. May we be people who react in praise to who the Lord is and all he has done for us. May we be people who live within the bounty he has provided and live for his glory. I really hope that these music bags can be a helpful reminder to do all of this and more as we are Christians within the classical music world. So thanks so much for spending part of your day with me today. Make sure to check the description for the link to purchase these music bags, for the link to the survey, and for a list of discussion questions that you can reflect on by yourself or with a group. Please feel free to leave us a five star review if you like this episode, and I will see you next Monday.