Do you sing? Do you sing in church? I grew up in a time when children routinely learned how to sing in school. Some of my fondest memories of elementary school was learning how to sing a new song. Today children are not always so fortunate. Many people have grown up believing they can't sing, mainly because they were never exposed to the joy of singing. What does the Bible say about singing? Why do we sing praises in church? Or, do you like many people, stand there rather uncomfortably waiting for the song to get over?
Let Them Sing Praises
We have an entire book of the Bible, Psalms, dedicated to singing. Should it be surprising then that we are told multiple times to sing praises to God? Psalm 149: 3 says, "Let them sing praises to Him!" I know some of you are thinking, why can't we just listen to the sermon, pray and go home? Our goal as Christians is to be more like Jesus. At the Last Supper Jesus and the disciples sang a hymn before leaving (Matthew 26:30). God, the Father, also sings. He rejoices over us with singing as we are told in Zephaniah 3:17,
"The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Why are we to sing? The Bible tells us multiple reasons for singing to God.
Deuteronomy 31:19 God tells Moses to write down a song He is giving Him and teach it to the children of Israel so that it would His witness, so they would not forget.
Psalm 89:1 tells us to sing of God's love
Psalm 149 tells us to sing praises to God.
Psalm 132:9 speaks to us of singing about what God has done for us.
Acts 16:25 speaks of Paul and Silas praying and singing hymns to God even in prison.
Ephesians 5:19 says to sing with one another giving thanks always.
Colossians 3:16 says to sing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
James 5:13 reminds us to sing psalms when we are cheerful.
Revelation 5:9-10 tells us of a new song being sung in Heaven.
Revelation 15:3-4 speaks of those who had victory over the beast singing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb.
What Should We Sing?
The Bible doesn't say that only those with perfect pitch should sing. We all should be praising God in song. Some people worry about what type of songs we should sing. As long as the song contains Biblical truth, we have no worries. It may have been written 200 years ago or yesterday.
Songs Help Us Remember
Songs move us, they stir our souls. They help us to remember important truths about God. Just as we learned songs when we were young to help us learn our ABC's or the books of the Bible, the songs we sing in church help us to remember, to praise and give thanks for our many blessings. We sing our wonderous story of our Christ who died for us.
Singing Alone
Songs are not just to be sung in worship services but even when we are alone, we can sing praise to God. In Psalm 108:1-2 David talks about singing praises to God at dawn. In Psalm 59:16 again David recounts singing of God's love in the morning. What a wonderful way to begin the day in prayer and song.
Singing Half Dead
John Wesley has a quote that describes how our singing ought not to be. "Sing lustily and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half-dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, than when you sung the songs of Satan. (John Wesley, Preface to Select Hymns [1761])" Music can touch our souls and stir us from our indifference. Are you bored singing? Pray that God will help you to reflect on the words and be lifted from thinking about things of this world or being worried about not being a great singer.
Singing for God
Those tasked with singing in the choir, soloists and others always, just like the congregation, must remember that our singing is not for our glory but God's. We don't sing for accolades; we sing from our hearts. Hearts that need and want to praise God. We are the family of God gathered to praise Him. Every time we sing, we should thank God for the opportunity to touch the hearts of those who hear us with a deeper understanding of what it means to praise Jesus.
Praise Him!
Instead of relying just on the choir, or the soloist or anyone else; let us all praise our God with lifted hands (Psalm 134:2), rejoicing always in His love and His forgiveness. Remember, God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). If you want to feel His presence, then praise Him!
Enjoy the beautiful hymn, Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, here.
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