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Why Sing? |
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Written by Brent Helming
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Why Sing?
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Page 1 of 2 Why Sing?Brent Helming
Why sing? I’m not asking, “Why do we worship?” Its probably safe to assume that if you are perusing this web site and reading this article, you already understand that we were created to be testimonies of God’s glory (Is. 43:6-7). In other words, we worship because God created us to worship.
No, my question is not “Why worship?” I’m posing the question, “Why sing?” Why do we, as the church, engage in singing as one of our primary forms of worship? It’s true that worship is far more than music and singing. Worship includes every activity of life (Romans 12:1). Yet, it is also true that the church, especially the contemporary church, spends a large portion of time singing together during our corporate worship.
Why do we do this?
First, let me “tip my hand” right up front. I am very much in favor of singing as a form of worship. As a worship leader and song writer, I am glad that singing is a large part of the dynamic of corporate and personal worship. So my question is not a negative one. I’m asking more from the point of view, “do we know and understand the biblical/theological reasons behind the validity of singing songs as worship?”
I believe that singing is a special gift from God. I’m not talking about the quality of singing, as of course, an incredible singing voice is certainly a heavenly gift. I mean that the actual act of singing is one of the most effective and divinely inspired ways to help us deepen our understanding of God and to grow spiritually.
Singing and God’s Word
An important verse on topic of singing is Colossians 3:16 (NIV);
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another, with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”
This verse explicitly links the word of Christ as it richly dwells within us with the activity of singing. Thus, singing is shown here as a God given way to connect with His word and His truth.
Consider also what the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 5: 17-20(NIV);
“Therefore do not be foolish but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, 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.”
In these verses, the connection is shown between being filled with the Holy Spirit and singing songs, hymns and spiritual songs. This connection is more clearly seen in the King James where translators more accurately place a semi-colon between verses 18 and 19 making them one continuous thought. Also, the first word of verse 19, “Speak” is more accurately translated with the present tense continuous verb “speaking”. In other words, Ephesians is telling us that our singing (speaking) is the result and/or overflow of the filling of the Holy Spirit.
Some of you may be asking, “Where is the connection between singing and the Word of God in Ephesians 5?” To see this connection more clearly, we need to look in the Gospel of John for some helpful commentary on the role of Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. John 6:63 and John 16:13-14 speak of the Holy Spirit as being one who gives life and makes known to us the life and words of Jesus. These verses show that one of the main roles of the Holy Spirit is to reveal the work and words of God to us and in us. Do you see the connection? When the word of God richly dwells within us one of the results is singing and just as when (as Ephesians notes) the Holy Spirit fills us (with revelation of Jesus and His words) we are inspired to sing.
Our infinitely wise creator God has made it so that there is a direct connection between Himself, His Word, the Holy Spirit and singing. I have counted over 200 references to Praising God through out the Psalms and many of those include singing. There are also quite a few of these verses where the language is structured as a command for us to sing (Psalm 47:6; 81:1; 96:1, 2; 98:1). The question then that begs to be asked is, “why?” “What is so special or unique about the act of singing?”
There are probably dozens of reasons why singing is such a powerful gift when it comes to worshiping God. However, I want to just touch on a few.
The Act of Remembrance
One of the most obvious strengths of hearing melodies and singing songs is their ability to be remembered. Have you noticed that the right words set to the right melody are almost impossible to get out of your head? We remember even the simplest “ditties” from years ago. How about this one? “Oh.. I wish I were an Oscar Myer ……” Now be honest. You could finish that song without even thinking about it! Or how about, “Jesus loves me this I ….” Can you finish that Sunday school favorite? Of course you can! However, how many of you can remember the main sermon points to your pastor’s sermon from two weeks ago?
The point here is not to “bash” sermons or make a case that they are subservient to the act of singing. The point is to show the incredible ability of “remembrance” inherent in the singing of songs. There are technical reasons for how and why lyrics set to melodies interact with our conscience and sub-conscience. Similarly, there are specific reasons why the act of singing these melodies triggers the synapses of our brain to fire in unique ways so as to connect with specific pathways for remembrance. But guess what? We don’t need to understand all the physiology. It’s just the way that God created us and he created us this way on purpose. God placed in us an incredible ability to absorb music and lyrics into the very fiber of our beings. I believe that one of the specific purposes for this was so that we could more fully engage in relationship with our creator and with His word.
Look at this interesting text in Deuteronomy 31:21 through chapter 32:47. God instructs Moses to write down a specific song and teach it to the nation of Israel. The reason for this instruction was so that the specific message (Word of God) of the song would not be forgotten by the future generations. Specifically, Deuteronomy says that the words of the song (as they remember and sing) will be life giving for their children. This text is an example of how God has intends for our singing to be a vehicle by which we remember his Words, His deeds, and the very nature of who He is.
Another example of singing as a vehicle for the remembrance of God and his deeds is Exodus 15 where Moses and Miriam lead a song of worship declaring God’s mighty act of deliverance from Pharaoh.
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Tips & Hints |
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