O, SING UNTO THE LORD

“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.  Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.  Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.  Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.  For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” (Psalm 100).

 

My wife, Terry, and I were both saved in 1971.  It was toward the end of the “hippie” era, and we considered ourselves part of that counter culture.  We were part of a rock and roll band along with a few of our friends.  We did covers of songs by many popular rock bands of the time.  We were involved with all of the experimentation and excess that went along with that culture.  We experienced much of the angst associated with the civil unrest, racial tensions, anger and frustration over the Vietnam War that defined that period of history.  In short, we were more than ready to hear a word of hope and a promise of a better life. 

 

About that time, we met several Christians who were all part of different churches, and who all brought the same message to us: that Jesus Christ loved us and died to cleanse us from our sins and secure for us a place in heaven.  It didn’t take a whole lot to convince us of the truth of the Gospel.  We accepted Christ as our Savior and set about to learn His ways.  This was during the revival period known as the “Jesus Movement,” and we saw scores of young people like us give their hearts to the Lord. 

 

Music had always been a big part of our lives, but the type of music that we performed seemed inconsistent with the message that we now wished to follow.  For this reason, I put my electric guitar aside, feeling that it was part of the life that I now wanted to leave behind.  Many today might think that was a strange thing for me to do; but, you see, I associated that guitar and that music with the alcohol, drugs, and life-style that I had come out of.  I didn’t think that the Lord could use it for His glory. 

 

Not long after that, we were in a gospel meeting where a dear sister was testifying about how God had taught her to play the guitar.  She said that someone had given her an old five dollar guitar to play, but she didn’t know the first thing about how to play it.  She said she would go into her basement and bang on it and sing, but she knew it didn’t sound good so she grew frustrated with it.  It’s then that she prayed and told the Lord that she was tired of wasting His time and hers and not making any progress.  In that moment she said she had a strong impression to place her fingers in certain spots on the fret board of the guitar.  When she did, the Lord gave her the words and chords to a song.  She was so excited that she called a friend who knew how to play and played her song for him.  He confirmed for her that she was indeed playing chords and that they were the “right” ones!  She had her guitar with her that night and sang several songs for us that inspired praise and worship in our hearts.

 

After hearing this sister’s testimony, the Lord let me see that He could use my talent to inspire and bless others.  He led me to the 40^th Psalm, verses 2 and 3, where He made these words real to my spirit: “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.  And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.”  God had certainly done that for me.  They were new songs that brought praise to the Father and to His Son Jesus Christ that I wanted to sing and to play.  He also began to inspire me to write spiritual songs that taught biblical truths, and He gave me music that went along with many of the Psalms and other scripture.  It isn’t that I am an especially gifted musician or singer – I am not.  I just want to be like the boy who brought his few loaves and fishes to Jesus knowing they were insufficient to feed a multitude, but, yet, trusting that the Lord could make much out of little.   

 

Since that time, I have felt very strongly that singing, praise, and worship go hand-and-hand and are how we should enter into God’s presence.  Scripture instructs us to “…come before his presence with singing,” and to “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise.”  We’re told to “Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto Him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.”  Psalm 98 also tells us that we should “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.  Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.  With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.” (Psalms 98:4-6).

 

It is evident in the Old Testament that singing was an important part of the Hebrews’ praise and worship.  During long hours of solitude, a young David composed many songs to the Lord as he tended his father’s flocks.  He also wrote songs during some of the most difficult times of his life and found hope and comfort in the words and music which the Lord gave him.  Today, we have an entire book of the Bible devoted, largely, to David’s psalms; as well as many written by others.  The Songs of Degrees (Psalms 120-134) were meant to be sung by the Jewish pilgrims as they would make their ascent up to Jerusalem for the special festivals.

 

The story of Jehoshaphat in Chronicles chapter 20 is remarkable.  It tells of the Jew’s miraculous deliverance from a very large host of Moabites, Ammonites, and others who were coming against Judah.  Everything about the story is inspiring, but I would like to focus on one aspect of it.  In verses 20 through 22 we read, “…Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.  And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.  And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.  Please note that it was the SINGERS who Jehoshaphat appointed to go before the army to praise the Lord; not the horsemen, or the spearmen, or the chariots, or any of the mighty men.  When they began to sing and to praise, the scripture says, it was then that the Lord began to move and set an ambush against their enemies, and they were utterly destroyed!

 

When King Solomon completed the temple of God in Jerusalem, and brought up the Ark of the Covenant to place it in the Holy of Holies, he assembled singers and musicians to praise the name of the Lord.  “It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.” (2 Chronicles 5:13, 14).  What a beautiful picture!  I believe that when we lift up our voices as one in our assemblies, entering into the Lord’s presence with singing and into His courts with praise, that the glory of God will fall on us!  Just as the cloud of God’s Spirit filled the temple in Solomon’s time, so, also, will the outpouring of His Spirit fill the house of God today!  God’s people are His House, and we are the temple of the Holy Ghost! (See 1 Corinthians 3:16).

                                                                                                                                                                            

The essential place that music held in Jewish worship did not end with them.  In the New Testament, Paul wrote to the Colossian Church saying, “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.” (Colossians 3:16).  Teaching and admonishing one another wasn’t meant to be restricted to the spoken word only, but singing was another way in which the Church could be edified, blessed, and encouraged.  It was also something that we could do privately in our hearts to keep our minds focused on good things.  Paul told the Ephesians much the same thing when he wrote, “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:19).  Paul also quotes a prophecy of Christ from the 22^nd Psalm when he says, “Saying, I will declare thy name unto My brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.” (Hebrews 2:12).  Finally, Paul writes these words to the Corinthians: “What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.” (1 Corinthians 14:15).

 

I have heard many good brothers and sisters in the Lord who can’t carry a tune in a bucket who testify how God put a song in their hearts that had ministered grace to them as they sang it in their hearts and meditated on the words all week. 

 

Even when we go through trials of our faith, spiritual songs can minister to us.  At such times it is our sacrifice of praise that brings great joy to our heavenly Father.  Music is not just for when we are being blessed, or when the Spirit is being poured out upon us.  After Paul and Silas had been beaten and shackled in a Philippian jail, they prayed and sang praises to God.  “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.” (Acts 16:25).  Yes, even in the midnight hour when things look the darkest, we can sing and give praise to God our Savior.  We will find that it raises our spirits.  There are also “prisoners” out there, shackled with sins that need to hear our witness of a God that can deliver from the difficulties and the storms of life.  It may just happen that our trial will turn to their salvation!  As the old chorus goes:

 

You can have a song in your heart in the night:

After every mile, after every trial.

Anyone can sing when the sun is shinin’ bright,

But you can have a song in your heart at night.

 

There are many forms and types of music that exist in the world, and not all of them are palatable to my taste or yours.  We, as Christian brothers and sisters, must, out of charity, be mindful of who our audience is, what will edify them, and what will offend them.  Christian music should be the vehicle by which we may deliver truth, offer praise, teach and admonish.  If the words are overshadowed or drowned out by the music, then we are missing the point.  Music is a ministry that we must take as seriously as preaching, teaching, prophecy, etc.  We must be dedicated to the building up of the Church, and not just pleasing ourselves or showing off our skills.  Paul said, “For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?” (1 Corinthians 14:8).  We want our message to be pure, clean, and distinct whether it is the spoken word or a song. 

 

I heard a testimony once about a developmentally challenged man who got up in a service and sang I’m a Child of the King.  He wasn’t the best singer; but when he sang those words, the Spirit of God witnessed to his purity and poured out a blessing on that service.  The congregation was reduced to tears and praise as they listened to that honest performance! 

 

May we always seek to edify our brothers and sisters in Christ with our words and our music, but may our focus primarily be on praising the One Who loved us, redeemed us, and gave His life for us.