The Happy Song
It is uncoincidental that Imogen Heap’s “The Happy Song” is the most played song in our home. The effect it has on our young son is almost comical.
A wide, gummy smile erupts in synchronisation with opening laughter of the song. When we sing along, his deep blue eyes light-up with pure delight. He does not seem to mind that only one of his parents can sing in pitch.
The Happy Song lyrics are playfully choreographed with onomatopoeia creating their catchy tune.
“Bring bring on the bicycle,
Beep beep in the car,
Ping ping a submarine,
Phew phew helicopter,
A choo choo train,
an aeroplane,
Or whee down the slide.”
With 99.9% success rate, this song can wipe away any of his sadness or frustration which may have been present.
Because I love you
We stumbled across The Happy Song sometime during the fog of the new-born period. As sleep-deprived parents attempting to soothe an unsettled babe who was simply trying to adjust to the unfamiliar enviroment of the outer womb world.
It was not only the song’s magical ability to settle our son, but also truth in the lyrics which installed this song as a household favourite.
“I just adore 'dore 'dore you every day more,
Wherever we are.
So up in the sky,
And deep in the ocean,
Through valleys and hills,
Away we go.”
Imogen Heap ingeniously manages to encapsulate the love a parent has for their child into the whimsical melody of this sweet song.
We adore our son.
Which makes me think, how much more God must love us, and how we, like children, respond when we bask in his love.
Because God loves us
Like “The Happy Song”, the Psalms can also be filled with childish delight dwelling on the love of the One who watches over us. Psalm 100 does just this. It begins,
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God!
The psalmist exhorts us to remember who our Heavenly Father is and how we ought to rejoice. Not because of something we’ve done or because of anything that God has done, but simply because of who he is. In his presence alone, we can rejoice, we can sing.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
The psalmist turns to dwell on what God has done. As children, we remember that we belong to him, like a child to a parent. We rejoice in our identity. Like our son delighting in a funny song about joy and the love of his parents, we, too, are called to embrace this vision of who God is and what he alone has done.
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations (Psalm 100).”
The psalmist concludes with a proclamation and a reminder. After exhorting the reader to rejoice in who God is and who we are in him, we are reminded that we serve, we worship, we are children of a God whose love endures, not only for today, but forever.
Children’s songs are full of delightful tunes, catchy phrases, and warm messages, reminding them of the good things in life. The psalms, though written in a very different time and in a different style, instil in us to remember the good.
May we not forget to be reminded of the good things of God proclaimed not only in the Psalms, but throughout all of Scripture.