Thankful For Singing!

 Psalm 95:1-2

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!

Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.

2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;

Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

I was blessed during my high school years to be surrounded by friends and mentors who absolutely love music!  My high school choir director in fact taught me two adages that stick with me to this day.  The first, “Excellence is never an accident.”   

Think about that statement.  It very much rings true.  With God Himself we know that excellence was not done by any mere accident as some others would have you to believe.  Look at the creation of this world.  When God was done, He made the statement that it was, “very good.”  When man was first created, we were without sin, blameless before God, and was absolutely perfect in every way.  We were excellent.  Then we fell.  We sinned before a holy God because even in our own excellence, we wanted more. Isn’t that true as well?   It seems that those who excel to new heights always seem to be wanting more.  That was the downfall of man in the first place.  So, what does this have to do with music?  Music is a practice of excellence.  Great music that is pleasing to the ear is only accomplished through practice and is never an accident.  Yes, there are virtuoso’s out there but even those who seemed like they never had to practice, still practice and fine tune their skills to this day.  Shouldn’t that be the practice of every Christian?  Not something works based, but we should be looking at the process of sanctification each and every day.  We should strive to be excellent in the ways of the Lord.  That can only be accomplished through the reading of His Word, a daily prayer life, and obedience unto God.  So music inspires us to the point that excellence is never an accident.  We can be thankful to God for giving us music which brings sheer enjoyment and pleasure but also inspires us in a more excellent walk with Him.

The second adage goes with the first and was something I don’t believe he may have realized that he taught.  Before I mention it, I’m sure some of you while reading this are saying, “Josiah, I’m not musical at all, I can’t carry a tune in a bucket, so I’m never going to be excellent in music.”  May I challenge you in this thought as I challenged some of my church choir members years ago.  You are an excellent musician because God made you an excellent musician and your voice is special to the orchestra of God.  The adage that my choir director taught me was how special the human voice was as an instrument.  It’s the only instrument that man has not directly made.  It’s made only by the hand of God.  God has given you your voice.  You may think that you cannot sing and you may have had others tell you that you cannot sing, but my friends, that is just not true.  God created us all to sing.  Some of us may not hit the right musical notes that man has made, or some may not be able to follow rhythms, but the tone of your voice is special to God and He wants to hear it.  I never turned anyone away from singing in any of my choirs over the years.  As long as their heart was singing to God, that is all what matters.  My friend, God has made your very voice fit in an orchestra that we cannot hear, but He can hear, and it’s the most precious music to His ears.  The psalms of the saints lift high into heaven and bring joy to our Creator.  You are a part of that orchestra.  While an orchestra consists of many different instruments, God’s orchestra consists of millions of different sounds that can bring glory to the King of Kings.

I’m amazed to this day how many people will not sing in church.  They are embarrassed at what others will think around them.  I have been tempted many times when I was around those that cannot sing to sing extremely bad in hopes they would start singing to perhaps drown my sound out!  My friends, here is a shocking truth that isn’t preached in the church today.  I wish it was.  I feel that many don’t preach about it in fear that they are being “legalistic” but this is not a legalistic matter.   This is a heart issue.  We are commanded by Scripture to sing.  

Colossians 3:16 says,

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

We should not care how we think our voice sounds.  Besides, if we believe our voice sounds bad, shouldn’t we practice on that as a sacrifice to God, to make it even better for His praise and worship?  Shouldn’t He who created our voice be the very inspiration on why we should sing more and strive for excellence in our singing?  Not singing in church simply because you feel like your voice is just way to bad is actually very selfish when you look at it from a biblical standpoint.  Who are you singing to?  If you’re more worried about how others around you will think of your singing, then do you truly have God as your audience?   The Christian artists, Big Daddy Weave, had a great song called “Audience of One.”  The lyrics are this and I encourage you to listen to this song this day….

I come on my knees

To lay down before you

Bringing all that I am

Longing only to know you

Seeking your face

And not only your hand

I find you embracing me

Just as I am

And I lift these songs

To you and you alone

As I sing to you

In my praises make your home

To my audience of one

You are Father, and you are Son

As your spirit flows free,

Let it find within me

A heart that beats to praise you.

And now just to know you more

Has become my great reward

To see your kingdom come

And your will be done

I only desire to be yours,

Lord

So what could I bring

To honor your majesty

What song could I sing

That would move the heart of royalty

And all that I have

Is the life that you've given me

So Lord let me live for you

My song with humility

And Lord as the love song

Of my life is played

I have one desire

To bring glory to your name

 

We should strive to have an audience of one.  So, today, let us be thankful for the gift of singing.  The voice that God gave us to lift praise and glory to His name.

May God let us lift our voices in His orchestra today!  Let there be a great crescendo unto Christ this day.  Let us hear the singing of the saints.