“Why is there so much singing in church?” he asked me one day after church, “I’m just not the singing type.”

In dealing with men, I have heard this quite a bit.  I have heard this from some women also, but mainly men.  And for some who may not understand why God calls us to sing, it can seem a little strange.  But let’s look at today’s Verse of the Day:

Psalms 105:1-2

​ Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;

make known his deeds among the peoples!

Sing to him, sing praises to him;

tell of all his wondrous works!

I know many people will use our excitement at a football game and compare it to how we should be in church.  I can understand this analogy and to some degree I agree with it. But if I were to happen across Patrick Mahomes today, I doubt if he would still be filled with the same level of emotion as the day of the Super Bowl.  As Christians, we are not striving to win. We have already won. The devil is not going to be defeated one day. He has already been defeated. As believers, we are ‘in Christ’ and Christ already has the victory (1 Corinthians 15:57).  Even when the Kansas City Chiefs think back to this year’s Super Bowl, they may get emotional, but it won’t be the same. So, I understand why we are not as ‘pumped up’ at church like we might be at a football game. Competition is filled with the mystery of the unknown, but Christianity is steeped in victory.  Yet, God calls us to an emotional response to Him.

Throughout the Old Testament, we are called to ‘shout to the Lord’ and to make a ‘joyful noise.’  Why does God command us to shout? What is the purpose of shouting and singing? Take a look at this passage?

Ephesians 5:18-19

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,

We are to make melodies with our hearts.  Music is an emotion manifested. Songs are written from the heart.  When they are truly sung, they are sung from the heart. Music is an earthly medium to help us express our soul.  Since the beginning of time, music has been used to express joy, sadness, fear, and love. Just hitting the notes with our vocal cords is not singing in the Biblical sense.  The word ‘sing’ in Scripture comes from an original word that means ‘behold.’ To behold something is to take note of something impressive or extraordinary. To sing in the Biblical sense, we must be filled with awe for what we are singing about.

It is easier to think about God at church because that is the sole purpose of going to church.  We go to church to help us slow down from the toiling of life to remember that God is good. It is not that we can’t do this somewhere else because we can.  But it is easier when we set aside the time and place to do exactly that. Music is very similar.

Music, by design, attempts to bring us to behold something, to ponder upon it with awe and amazement.  It is not that I cannot be in awe of God at any time and in any way because I can. But the earthly music helps my spirit get in the right place just as the physical church building helps my mind focus on the right thing.

When you go to church, do you sing in the Biblical sense?  If not, what is difficult about it? If you are able to sing with all your heart, how does this help you in your relationship with God?  Leave us a comment so we can learn from one another.

Live Blessed and Be a Blessing!