As long as I can remember, I’ve been interested in music. So many of my childhood memories involve singing along with what was playing on the radio, and I especially remember how driving under power lines affected the AM radio signals.
I also discovered early on that I have musical talent. I started singing in church when I was a little kid, and I moved on to singing in school choirs. I took piano lessons for a while in my teenage years, and I still want to learn to play the guitar.
I still sing regularly, leading worship at least once a month. As a worship leader, it warms my heart when we can hear the congregation singing through our in-ear monitors. Certain songs like “King of Kings,” “Thank You Jesus for the Blood,” and “Worthy of It All” get people singing louder. It’s even more moving when we can hear the men singing.
(From here on out, I’m primarily addressing the men, but a lot of what I’m writing today is good for men and women — and even kids — to read.)
I know that a lot of men don’t like to sing out loud at church. Even though I’m a major exception to that rule, I get it. But there are so many benefits that we get from singing together, as the link below will show you.
Related: Sunday Thoughts: The Joy of Singing Together in Worship
The Bible is full of examples of when making music for God’s glory made a difference. Of course, we know that the trumpet players led the people of Israel in marching against Jericho, with a trumpet blast that preceded the shouting that made the city’s walls fall (Joshua 6).
When King Jehoshaphat faced an ambush from three armies, what did the people do? They sent the singers to lead the army to victory:
And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever.” And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.
2 Chronicles 20:20-23 (ESV)
When Paul and Silas were in prison, their songs of praise led to their miraculous escape:
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.
Acts 16:25-32 (ESV)
“Singing is a superpower,” writes Chris Harper. “It is a shame more men are not tapping into it.”
Have you ever thought about the fact that God sings over His people — loudly? Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”
So shouldn’t we want to sing back to Him? After all, if anybody has a reason to sing with joy, it’s believers in Jesus.
“If Christians don’t sing, who will?” asks David Mathis. “Television talent contests fill with soloists raised in the church because non-Christians have fewer reasons to sing.”
I can’t help but agree with Bob Kauflin when he said, “The Savior has rescued us that we might sing the song of the redeemed. May we sing it well. May we sing it constantly. May we sing it passionately. May we sing it for his glory and the advancing of his gospel until the time comes when our songs will never end."
So raise your voices, men (and women) of God! It’s worship, it’s spiritual warfare, and it’s the least we can do to honor the God who gave us so much.
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