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Sing!

Posted on 01.31.2013

For the past several days I have been thinking about how powerful the act of singing is. I am not speaking of listening to anyone else sing, but the power there is when we individually sing to God.

For the many years that I have learned about worship and the many aspects of worship, I have found that my pilgrimage with God has been impacted by the choices I have made about worship and the overall choice I have made to worship. First of all, let me be clear that I believe that worship is everything I do. In other words, all of my life is to be a living sacrifice to God and that everything I do is worship. So my goal in life is to live a life of total worship. I may fall short of this, but my intent is as stated. I have deliberately developed disciplines that will help me to achieve this goal of living a life of total worship. Some of these disciplines include being in the Word of God daily—day after day—in season and out of season. There has been a constant and consistent “marching through” of His Word being my daily food. Another one of these disciplines is spending time in prayer daily, constantly and making conscious decisions to stop and acknowledge Jesus throughout the day. This simply is attempting and accomplishing through the power of the Holy Spirit, “praying without ceasing.“ Finally, one of my favorites is giving thanks and expressing gratitude to God for simple things that I can take for granted. Sometimes I walk around looking for things to thank God for—there is plenty and the list never ends!

Many of you readers employ these disciplines. There is one, however, that I would like to challenge you to undertake more of, that is, if you do not already: Singing. I would like to ask you to sing aloud and alone in your times of devotion or prayer or quiet time with God! He loves to hear your voice! You do not have a voice like Jackie O. Kelley, Amy Berna, Calvin Rhone, Israel Houghton, Marvin Sapp, Donna Howard, or Dr. Karysse Trandem! God loves to hear you sing to Him all alone!

Psalm 100 does tell us to “make a joyful noise.” So, do what the Word tells us!

When you spend time singing unto God in your personal time of worship, it enhances your corporate time of worship. I will add that it is important for you to clap your hands and lift them in praise also! I will assure you that when you begin to practice singing alone and aloud to God, you will notice that you will receive much more from your public worship. Your corporate times of worship will become much more powerful and meaningful to you and your worship will have a positive affect on corporate worship. I will often march or walk around our home clapping and singing alone—God’s Presence comes and inhabits my praises!

Also, I suggest that you try singing your prayers of thanksgiving and repentance. Sing passages of scripture. What? This just means you will be singing your own song—a new song to the Lord! Psalm 96:1-2 says, “Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise His name; proclaim His salvation day after day.”

Finally, Ephesians 5:19-20 says, “…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.”

Now you have no excuse! Go and make some music to the Lord!