So the question we need to ask today is this: if the teaching in our church was limited to the songs that we sing, how well taught would we be? But dwarfing those commands in number are the times God tells us to worship him with song. Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Psalm 150 is a helpful instructor on where, why, and how to praise. God’s power, and presence, and ability transform our thinking. It expresses, arouses, and speaks to our feelings. All these qualities can help us engage emotionally with the words we’re singing. Vibrant singing enables us to connect truth about God seamlessly, with passion, so that we can combine doctrine and devotion, edification and expression, mind and heart. He says that when he first came to faith, he felt that all this talk about praising God seemed like only going through the motions if God was all-powerful. “I think,” says Lewis, “we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment.” Lewis continues: “It is frustrating to have discovered a new author and not to be able to tell anyone how good he is; to come suddenly, at the turn of the road, upon some mountain valley of unexpected grandeur and then to have to keep silent because the people with you care for it no more than for a tin can in the ditch; to hear a good joke and find no one to share it with.”, Lewis puts it in yet another way. Many churches have stopped using hymnals but that doesn’t mean you have to. We should make it our aim not only to preach the whole counsel of God but to sing it, as well. On the eve of his crucifixion, Jesus sang hymns with his disciples (e.g., Matthew 26:30). "Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant" (Psalm 135:3). Once we were not a people, but now we are the people of God, and our singing together, every voice contributing, is one way we express that truth. Praise opens the gates of Heaven and the doors of blessings. Music is a channel of divine blessing, comfort and strength. “God does not only ‘demand’ praise as the supremely beautiful and all-satisfying Object,” Lewis says. – Psalm 147:1 Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. They think that words without music — and that’s usually a certain kind of music — are dry, unaffecting, and unimportant. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, than when you sung the songs of Satan. Colossians 3:16 – It is the word of Christ, the gospel, that should dwell in us richly as we sing. Edwards is speaking of religious affections, meaning our entire being is engaged with God and his truth in a way that determines our words, thoughts, choices, and actions. Charles wrote over 6500 hymns, and together they produced fifty-six hymnals that covered every area of Christian doctrine and experience that they taught. It can allow us to repeat them or put space in between words. I grew up on groups like the Swingle Singers, Association, and Beach Boys and sang in or accompanied choirs throughout high school and college. Along with helping us remember words, singing also connects the words we sing with our hearts. For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth … Sing praises to God, sing praises! It will liberate our spirits, too. As long as the lyrics are edifying and faithful to Scripture, why can’t we draw from each tradition to enable a broader range of emotional responses in corporate worship? Likewise, the chorus to “It Is Well” gives us plenty of time to consider and enjoy the peace that God alone can bring to our souls. We sing God’s praises: wondrous Lord of time and space! For it is good to sing praises to God: for it is ; pleasant , and praise is beautiful! Have you ever had the same stumbling block as Lewis? If those same words were sung to a melody that was boring, unsingable, or forgettable, the hymn itself would never have become so popular. You’ve heard of A.D.D., Attention Deficit Disorder. Why are God’s people throughout history always singing? In order to worship in truth, we must know the truth, which is found in the Bible. People's lives … Then again, maybe you don’t. (That we are to sing to God, that we are to praise God, that we are to express our love to Him very deeply and openly, that we open ourselves up when we sing to God. The longest book of the Bible, the Psalms, is a book of songs. Singing helps express and ignite them. We can tend to think that God accepts our offerings of musical worship because of our skill, efforts, practice, or sincerity. So, what are we doing in our local churches to promote, encourage, and participate in the kind of corporate singing we see in Revelation? In just four verses we’re commanded to sing seven times. Real Holy Spirit worship brings spiritual healing, physical healing, emotional healing, mental healing and deliverance from evil influences. Music can move our emotions, but it can’t speak propositional truth. Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! By “effective” I mean melodies that people are able to remember and melodies that people want to remember. The Psalmist seems almost jealous of the Temple birds. For it is good to sing praises to God: for it is ; pleasant , and praise is beautiful! The good news is that God wants to use music, and has even designed music, to break through our apathy and hardness of heart, and to help us engage emotionally with his Word. We’ve seen how music can help us remember and engage emotionally with words. Because Jesus is the One who has made it possible. Psalm 68:4 Sing to God! God didn’t tell us. (Psalm 96:1–2), Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts” (Colossians 3:16). We must continually renew our minds to the Word of God by spending time studying every day (Romans 12:2). God’s power, and presence, and ability transform our thinking. How well would we know God? Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. When that relationship is understood and appreciated, music becomes a powerful gift from God that complements, supports, and deepens the impact of the words we sing. By praising God, we are reminded of the greatness of God! Harold Best reminds us that all our offerings “are at once humble and exalted by the strong, saving work of Jesus Christ” (Best, Music through the Eyes of Faith [HarperOne, 1993], 156). You might be someone who patiently endures the singing on Sunday mornings until you hear what you really came for — the message. We, like former generations, praise his holy name once more. Personal experience with a song can affect its influence on us. While we won’t be singing all the time, I can tell you this: when we do sing, it will be like nothing we’ve ever experienced. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts” (Colossians 3:16). for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God The first verse provides the “where” of praise—everywhere! The first thing music helps us do is remember words. and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”. When it comes to the church, this characteristic of singing has significant implications, all of which require great wisdom and discernment. What kind of music do people from every tribe and language and nation and tongue sing? First, singing can help us take more time to reflect on the meaning of words. So, why does God want us to praise Him? I don’t know! For years Oliver Sacks has studied the effects of music on the brain. We gain a healthy self-image, based on God’s view of us. Words of Wonder: What Happens When We Sing? Why praise? As we sing and praise God, we begin to feel the presence of the Lord upon us. Every time we praise we are causing things to happen! We are to make a joyful noise unto the Lord. A person who gives this some thought and yet does not regard it [music] as a marvelous creation of God, must be a clodhopper indeed and does not deserve to be called a human being; he should be permitted to hear nothing but the braying of asses and the grunting of hogs. We are called to sing with others, especially in the context of our local church. But sometimes a melody or a musical setting begins to sound stale to a younger set of ears. The music helps us engage with the words, “It is well with my soul.” The mood of the music matches what we’re saying. . God is honored when we sing alone, when a musically gifted individual leads out in a solo, when a choir sings, or when different segments of a church sing to one another, taking turns. Exalt Him who rides on the clouds--His name is the LORD--and rejoice before Him. In other words, music is meant to affect us. “Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Whatever the reasons, music can come alongside words and heighten their emotional impact in a way we may not have perceived with words alone. … For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding.” (Psalm 47:1,6) “Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Some hymns have truly great melodies; they’re memorable, singable, and enjoyable. Both groups are right. When it comes to combining music and words, Christians tend to fall into one of three categories. God himself wants them together. People sing together in the strangest places. Finally, we must be clear that it is the gospel and not music that unites us. While these events aren’t equally significant, something similar is happening. All told, the Bible contains over four hundred references to singing and fifty direct commands to sing. Even in the depths of suffering, we can turn our hearts and v We are a church that loves to sing. (Oliver Sacks, Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain [Alfred A. Knopf, 2007], 158). The Bible isn’t specific about exactly who sings when. Words should be the first thing we consider when we think about what songs to sing when we gather as the body of Christ. 50, 21). A final way singing serves words is by demonstrating and expressing our unity. Not many of us do that though. This is our basic posture, and there are good reasons for it. In his book Recalling the Hope of Glory, Allen Ross reminds us of the value of looking ahead: If we even begin to comprehend the risen Christ in all his glory, or faintly hear the heavenly choirs that surround the throne with their anthems of praise, or imagine what life in the presence of the Lord will be like, then we can never again be satisfied with worship as usual. There’s certainly a place for expressing our subjective responses to God in song, but the greater portion of our lyrical diet should be the objective truths we’re responding to: God’s Word, his character, and his works, especially his work of sending his Son to be our atoning sacrifice. "Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant" (Psalm 135:3). “When we carry out our ‘religious duties’ we are like people digging channels in a waterless land, in order that when at last the water comes, it may find them ready. I love the people in my church because Jesus has enabled me to love them through his once-and-for-all atoning death. Praise brings God into the scene. They’re not. But with humans, it seems a little harder. Praise the name of the Lord, give praise, O servants of the Lord, who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God! Calm and humble you – Being thankful for what you have and all that God has done for you … As we sing and praise God, we begin to feel the presence of the Lord upon us. 2. How can God put up with that?” He can because he hears what we do through his Son. Third, praise discharges strength in faith, which causes God to move on our behalf. When we worship God, we gain a right view of ourselves. In his Confessions he wrote: I am inclined — though I pronounce no irrevocable opinion on the subject — to approve of the use of singing in the church, so that by the delights of the ear the weaker minds may be stimulated to a devotional mood. But our faith is not in what we do. All told, the Bible contains over four hundred references to singing and fifty direct commands to sing. Praise dissipates worry and dilutes concern and fear. As Israel was about to enter the Promised Land, God instructed Moses to teach Israel a song so that “when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring)” (Deuteronomy 31:21). There are varied traditions of song throughout history as well as very different hymn-writers: Puritans, psalm singers, pietists, charismatics, modern worship songs. Rather, he wants it; he wants us. Amazing, isn’t it? It’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Tracing back to the idea of praise as a command, it means that part of our duty as Christians becomes praising God. In the book of Revelation, the host of heaven aren’t in unity because of the style of music they are using but because of the focus of their song. That has a number of advantages. You might say that music has a voice, but we’re not always clear what that voice is saying. When we worship we should sing praises to God, glorifying Him and honoring His Name. We must continually renew our minds to the Word of God by spending time studying every day (Romans 12:2). That process can actually have a physical effect on our bodies. Skip to main content. I mean, for the most part. We’ll have clearer minds to take in the glories of God. That’s why I always encourage leaders in the church to take time to sing a cappella, whether it’s a line, a verse, or an entire song. Rather, it’s about the person noticing, respecting, being changed by the experience of seeing. Have you ever had the same stumbling block as Lewis? Sing praises to our King, sing praises! Why? First, it’s biblical. Psalm 103:1-22 ESV / 52 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful Of David. Yet when it happens that I am more moved by the singing than by what is sung, I confess myself to have sinned wickedly, and then I would rather not have heard the singing. The holiness of God cannot be adequately expressed in a two-minute up-tempo pop song. Therefore I will give thanks to You among the nations, O Lord, And I will sing praises to Your name. Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. Worship is the act of doing something like reading the Bible, praying, or singing. When we praise the Lord, we are recognising, appreciating and giving awe to His splendour. No other reason can be assigned, why we should express ourselves to God in verse, rather than in prose, and do it with music, but only that such is our nature and frame, that these things have a tendency to move our affections. Singing is the easiest way to unify a large group of people. While that decision can be well intentioned, I believe the long-term effect is to separate families and generations and to imply that we gather together around our musical preferences, not Jesus Christ. The jubilant triumph of Christ’s victory over sin can’t be fully communicated in a slow a cappella hymn. (We're to give God praise and thanks and glory for that) Then the next psalm. They understood that songs will never replace preaching but can serve as a significant complement to it. "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to … The emotions that singing is meant to evoke are responses to the truths we’re singing about God — his glory, his greatness, and his goodness. Why does God command us not only to praise him, but to sing praises to him? As David played skillfully on his harp, Saul’s troubled spirit was calmed (1 Samuel 16:23). To begin with, we should seek to sing songs that unite rather than divide the church. (Edwards, Religious Affections, cited in Sam Storms, Signs of the Spirit: An Interpretation of Jonathan Edwards’s Religious Affections [Crossway, 2007], 53). For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. Why not just pray and preach? Psalm 68:25 The singers lead the way, the musicians follow after, among the maidens playing tambourines. When we praise and bless God, we find that other people around us respond to that spirit of praise … It matters not only that we sing but also what we sing. But music and the Word aren’t meant to be in conflict with each other. 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