So when gave it my all to digest an article in Worship Leader magazine titled “Why We Sing” by Bob Kauflin, I had to stop and get out my pen and mark it up. It spurred me on to make a list of the top 10 reasons why we sing in church as our primary form of corporate worship. It’s like there are 2 entites: “singing” and “worship” yet how come the two intersect every time we go to church?
So here’s the top 10!
We sing because…
#1 – God commands us to
#2 - it enables us to respond to God’s grace
#3 – it enables us to remember God’s word
#4 – it’s an excellent way to declare God’s promises
#5 – God does
#6 -- it expresses the unity we have because of what Christ did on the cross
#7 – it offers us a glimpse of Heaven
#8 – it prepares our minds to hear God’s teaching
#9 – it plants seeds in our heart for life transformation
#10 – it reminds us of the importance of the Gospel, thereby encouraging us to live on mission for Jesus
I’ve had a chance to share on each of these points. So this will get kind of long and will span a few blog entries, but it’s worth diving into scripture to see how music is important to God and how it should be life-changing for us when we worship.
#1 – God commands us over 50 times in the Bible to sing His praise.
Psalm 47:6 is pretty emphatic -- it says, “sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!” God evidently wants us to do just this! So let’s make the number one reason we sing is because we desire to obey.
You don’t have to know too many Old Testament stories to notice that it’s a good idea to obey God. There are many examples of what NOT to do. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh but he didn’t, and ended up stuck in the belly of a whale as alternative to drowning. Yeah, he should have obeyed right?
Realize, though, that singing is not for God’s benefit. His commands are always for our benefit. There’s a lot that happens in our hearts when we sing praise. Declaring truth with your lips refreshes your spirit, reminds you of what’s really important, and connects you to your Creator.
Just remember, worshipping God in song is not simply a suggestion. It’s a commandment, repeated over and over in scripture so we don’t miss out!
#2 – Singing enables us to respond to God’s grace
Music is an emotional language. It’s meant to affect and move us. That’s why people love Christmas carols, pep rallies, national anthems, Broadway musicals, and rock concerts. Singing gives our praise a powerful platform. It effects us emotionally for the right reasons. It puts our heart in the right place before God.
He has given each of us a song – it’s a song of thanks from the redeemed to the redeemer. We have been forgiven and shown undying love, so we should naturally express that love back to the Lord. God isn’t glorified from half-hearted grumblings and mumblings; making a joyful noise unto the Lord only happens when you do it with all your heart. It comes from deep inside and is a reflection of your faith.
Nothing is more compelling than the grace God has shown us in delivering us from condemnation through the sacrifice of His son. We have been given new life in Him. We are greatly loved. We are called His children and He chose us even though we didn’t deserve it! How can we not sing!
In scripture the emotion most commonly connected with singing is joy. May we constantly and joyfully remind ourselves that Jesus Christ has defeated the powers of hell and now reigns victorious as our redeemer and king.
“Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.” Psalm 33:1
#3 - Singing enables us to remember God’s Word
You’ve heard of John 3:16, right? It’s the most commonly memorized verse in the Bible. Well every good singer should also memorize Colossians 3:16: “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to one another.”
This is really much more about the words than the music. Music is a mnemonic tool and when combined with scripture, it helps us to remember God’s truth.
A while back I made a blog entry titled “Am I the only person who likes this song?” Here’s a little excerpt:
We did a newer song this Sunday that I absolutely love, but I wonder if others shared my enthusiasm. As I looked out on Sunday I got mixed facial expressions to the point that I questioned if I may have been the only person who liked the song! It starts with "Create in me a clean heart O God" (from Psalm 51:10) and in a Tuesday conversation I heard, "I've really been praying this week that God would create a clean heart in me." This is SO VERY encouraging to me!
Okay that’s the first 3. The other 7 will be posted soon so stay tuned!
- Rich
