Recently I have been leading the Sunday night discipleship class entitled: SING! It is based on the book, SING, by Keith & Kristyn Getty. Keith and Kristyn are modern day hymn writers. Their most well-known hymn/worship song is IN CHRIST ALONE.
The book reminds us that ALL believers are called to SING in corporate worship even if they “think” they can’t. Ephesians 5:19-20 admonishes us to sing!
Speak to one another with psalms, and hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Getty states: He (God) is far less concerned with your tunefulness than your integrity. Christian singing begins with the heart, not the lips.
Getty continues: Your heavenly Father cares whether and what you sing, but He does not mind how well you sing. While we may have choirs within our churches made up of voices who have expertise and ability, the congregation of a church is the ultimate choir, and it is without auditions—everyone can be in it and should be in it.
That being said many people miss great joy by never opening their mouths to sing in worship. Maybe they were told as a child they “couldn’t sing” or they were once in a musical group and were told not to stand too close to the microphone or just “lip sync” the words. Whatever your musical background, GOD delights in your singing! We were created to Sing to Him!
Singing engages the whole of who we are. It engages not only the intellect but our emotions and spirit. On any given Sunday, if a test were given, on average more people could recite the words to hymns or worship songs they have sung than they could recite Scripture. God wired us that way.
The great reformer, theologian, and hymn writer Martin Luther knew that quite well. Martin Luther (early 16th century) reinvigorated singing in what became known as the Protestant church. Luther believed that a truly Biblical church would be one where EVERY BELIEVER was actively participating in every part of the service, including the singing. Many of Martin Luther’s enemies feared his hymns more than the man himself. SINGING was at the heart of the Reformation.
This Sunday be “present” when we sing in worship. Allow the hymns and worship songs to come alive in your heart and mind. Getty states: When we sing, it is not that God suddenly arrives (He is in all places at all times). He is never absent—but very often, we are. Ask God to help you focus; think about the words you are singing and the images they are painting; respond in prayer to lines that particularly strike you; be mindful of those around you, enjoying being a part of something greater than yourself…
SING! To God with all that you are! It is for everyone – not just a select few!
God bless!