Christians begin to sing the Lord's songs when they first lay their burdens at the Cross. No angelic choir sounds sweeter than that first song of joy from a forgiven soul. Remember how John Bunyan describes Pilgrim losing his burden at the Cross? With three great leaps, he went on singing, "Blest Cross! Blest Sepulchre! Blest be the Man that was put to shame for me!" Do you remember when your chains fell away? Can you recall where you met Jesus, when He said, "I've loved you with an everlasting love; your sins are gone like clouds, never to be mentioned again"? What a sweet moment when Jesus takes away the sting of sin.

When the Lord first forgave me, I was so full of joy I could hardly keep from dancing. On my way home from the place of my freedom, I wanted to tell every stone and every snowflake about Jesus' love, who erased the sins of a rebel like me. But it's not just at the start of our Christian journey that we find reasons to sing. Throughout our lives, we continue to find joy in His ways. Our ongoing experience of His lovingkindness makes us say, "I'll bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall always be on my lips." Make sure you praise Him today. "As long as we walk this desert land, new mercies will call for new songs."