Why New Songs?

Sing a new song to the LORD!
Let the whole earth sing to the LORD!
Sing to the LORD; praise his name.
Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. - Psalm 96

I love all types of songs. There is something awesome about a familiar song, one that you've heard so many times you could sing it in your sleep, one that's meaning has sunk all the way into your bones, one that when you hear those first few notes, your brain hums with perfect recognition.

But it is also a great feeling to hear a new song and think to yourself, "How have I not heard this before? It's amazing!" When I hear a really good new song, I am equal parts excited (that I've found it) and disappointed (that I've gone this long without it.) Maybe I am the only one who thinks like this, I don't know. Obviously I like music a lot.

All that to say I'm never content sticking with the tried-and-true songs that I know like the back of my hand. One of my great joys as a worship leader is teaching NEW songs, whether they are songs that I have written or someone else has written. And what's more, God wants us to sing Him new songs. There is a freshness to it, and it lets us express our worship in new and different ways.