Can you sing? Songs are such a major part of our lives. We drive with it, shop with it, & work with it (I’ve got songs playing on my desktop speaker as I write this). With the ever-present earbuds, people can do practically anything anywhere with songs playing. Songs become the soundtrack to our lives. I can remember all the words to some of the most obscure songs–which shows you how powerful songs are.
When I hear “Hey You, Get off of My Cloud” by the Rolling Stones, it takes me back to my Grandma’s house as a preschooler. When I hear “Fame” by David Bowie, it takes me right back to the roller skating rink as a kid. When I hear “Love Will Keep Us Together” by Captain & Tenille, it takes me right back to the neighborhood swimming pool. When I hear “Unchained” by Van Halen, it takes me back to my college dorm room. When I hear “Higher” by Creed, it takes me back to a Daytona Beach vacation with my family.
I sang in the teen choir in my home church. The good thing about a choir is that it covers up the weakness of those who don’t sing that well. This led me to try out for the large, prestigious singing group in my high school. I went to the auditions, assuming I’d be singing in front of a teacher. But to my horror, the entire choir was there evaluating me. Someone plunked a few notes on a piano that I was to imitate. Let’s just say my delusion about the level of my talent was shattered.
Thankfully, the Lord accepts our praise no matter how it sounds. That’s why when I served in a little country church, on rare occasions, I led singing. Back then, it meant standing still while conducting with one arm, making sweeping motions (1 & 2 & 3 & 4). One time, Penny & I even sang a duet (the photo here is the evidence). Singing is a very personal thing–we enjoy it when alone in the car or the shower–but not everyone should be up front singing in front of other people. Karaoke is evidence.
Several months ago, the BBC posted an article on “Why singing is surprisingly good for your health.” It noted that nearly every culture & generation has singing in common. We do it to celebrate, mourn, inspire & set moods. Songs are used to lullaby babies, teach children & pass on stories. According to a growing body of research, it can have significant effects on our physical, emotional, mental, & social well-being. But did we really need research to know that?!
Singing has been shown to be good for physical health & quality of life. It can lift our spirits, reduce stress & release endorphins. It activates a surprisingly large network of the brain–language, movement, memory, emotion, & attention all become involved. That’s why it’s often used in rehabilitation. Have you had a family member toward the end of life? Music still moves them. Those with dementia & Alzheimer’s come alive when they hear a familiar song, quoting every lyric from decades ago.
But perhaps the most interesting benefits come when we sing together. There’s something powerful about joining our voices with other people. Research shows that even complete strangers can develop unusually strong feelings of connection after singing together. Group singing can create a sense of psychological well-being, belonging & cooperation that’s difficult to duplicate otherwise.
It’s no wonder God has made singing a part of worship from earliest times. When Moses led the Hebrews out of Egyptian slavery, his sister Miriam broke out the tambourines & led singing! The Israelites’ Tabernacle & Temple had singers. The book of Psalms is the songbook of the Bible. When Mary became pregnant with baby Jesus, she sang to God. The Bible ends with the vision of heaven where multitudes of saints sing praises.
Praise can include different kinds & styles of worship–the New Testament doesn’t tell us much about the praise songs or musical styles of the early Church. But Jesus tells us that we must worship in Spirit & truth (John 4:23). You can do that privately, but there’s something powerful about lifting our voices together: “Singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts” (Eph. 5:19).
God doesn’t need our worship–He doesn’t need anything from us. Though He does delight in our worship, singing seems to be more about what it does for us. Yet, self-interest is not our motive for singing praise. We don’t do it to get something out of the service. That self-centered attitude is a worship killer. It’s not about you. We do it because God is worthy of worship (Ps. 29:2, 96:8, Rev. 5:12). But the byproduct & bonus is that, in the words of a song from my teen years: “We get lifted up when we praise the Lord.” It benefits us as much as it honors Him
Don’t blame the “church” if you don’t sing. “It’s the worship leader’s fault–they weren’t singing in my key. It was the band’s fault–they weren’t playing songs I like. It’s the sound tech’s fault. It’s the fault of the person running the lyric slides on the screen. It’s the fault of the people around me–they were whispering & being distracting.” Of course, all those things can affect our quality of singing–but they shouldn’t affect our quality of praise. After all, Paul & Silas were singing while manacled in prison (Acts 16:25).
Maybe you’ve heard someone say, “If you don’t enjoy singing now, then you’re not going to enjoy heaven.” So you think of heaven as just non-stop singing all day long (which doesn’t sound too exciting). Don’t worry…Heaven’s going to be so much more than singing! But there WILL be singing, & it’s going to be awesome with every voice on key! Those who were deaf & mute will maybe be singing louder & better than anyone because they never got the chance to do it here.
What I’m saying is: Show up every Sunday ready to really sing! It’s for God’s glory & our good.