Singing Because the Tomb Is Empty
Month 7: He Is Risen! — Why We Believe · Family Worship
Today's Scripture
Read together: Psalm 16:9-11
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will dwell securely. 10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay. 11 You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.
Memory Verse
“He is not here; He has risen, just as He said! Come, see the place where He lay.”— Matthew 28:6 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Isaiah 11–14
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Isaiah 12 is a song of salvation — perfect for a worship day.)The Heart of It
It is worship day, and we have something amazing to sing about. It was written a thousand years before the first Easter. King David sang, "My heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will dwell securely. For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay." But David's own body did see decay. His tomb was right there in Jerusalem. So who was he singing about? On the day of Pentecost, Peter pointed straight to this psalm. David was a prophet, Peter said, and David was singing about the resurrection of the Christ. He was singing about Jesus, whose body God would not let decay (). The empty tomb wasn't Plan B. It was promised in song long before it happened.
That's why our worship today is full of confidence, not just feeling. The psalm ends, "You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand." Jesus walked that path right through death and out the other side. So now that path of life is open to everyone who follows Him. Gather your family and worship. Sing the resurrection truth loud and glad. Not because every day is easy, but because the tomb is empty and Jesus is at the Father's right hand. Worship is what hearts do when they remember who won. Let your home be a place where the empty tomb turns into a song.
Around the Table
Long, long ago a king named David sang a happy song about Jesus coming alive. He sang it even before it happened! Let's sing happy songs to Jesus too!
Let's do it: Pick a favorite worship song and sing it together with big smiles and clapping.
David promised the Holy One wouldn't stay dead. A thousand years later, Jesus rose! God plans good things way ahead of time.
Let's talk: What is one thing you want to thank Jesus for in your worship today?
Peter used this psalm to prove the resurrection from the Old Testament (). Scripture predicted the empty tomb hundreds of years early.
Let's go deeper: How does it strengthen your faith to see the resurrection promised so long before it happened?
💬 Conversation Starter
What song makes you want to get up and sing along every time? Today, let's make Jesus' resurrection the reason for our family's loudest, gladdest song of all.
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Couldn't Christians have just twisted an old psalm to fit Jesus? Think about David's tomb. It was a famous landmark in Jerusalem. Everyone could see that David's body did decay. So the psalm clearly pointed beyond David to someone else, someone whose body would not. Peter made this very argument out loud, right there in the city, to people who could check it for themselves. And thousands believed. A promise made and then kept is powerful evidence. We offer it with gentleness ().
For Dad · Go Deeper
Family worship doesn't require musical talent. It requires a glad heart aimed in the right direction. Notice how this psalm weds joy and truth. "My heart is glad" flows out of "You will not abandon my soul." Feelings that aren't anchored to truth fizzle out. And truth that never reaches the heart grows cold. Your job as worship leader at home is to keep both alive. Sing real doctrine, and let it stir real delight. Don't hand your family's praise entirely over to Sunday or to a screen. Children learn that God is worth singing to when they see Dad sing. Even off-key. Even tired. Let them catch you delighting in the risen Christ. As the old saying goes, what we celebrate, we cultivate. So cultivate joy in the empty tomb.
Draws on: Sam Storms, The Singing God / One Thing.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You that Jesus is alive, just as You promised. You always keep Your word. Fill our home with glad worship today. Give us the deep joy that comes from being near You. In Jesus' name, amen."
Because the tomb is empty, my heart has a reason to sing. Today and forever.