Why in the world do we sing?

In the grand scheme of the life, songs are the smallest expression of worship we have, so why are they so important? Shouldn’t we place the primary emphasis on obedience, sacrifice, servant-living, and generosity as a lifestyle of worship? Yes. But I don’t think we should do so at the expense of emphasizing singing. The Bible doesn’t think so either. Songs, when combined with those other forms of worship, still have a significant place in the life of the believer because songs accomplish something that other forms of worship can’t.

All of life is worship, but when you worship through song frequently, you focus your heart & decrease your chances of misdirecting the rest of your life-worship. Notice I said when you worship through song. The simple act of mindless singing while neglecting truth and right living does nothing.

Worship through song is a gift from God. It most powerfully engages the heart where the mind alone can’t go. It pulls out a deeper meaning & emotion that words alone cannot express. Our prayers and reading can be effective at engaging our minds and thoughts, but the emotional capacity laden in those words is endless when accompanied by tones, melodies, progressions, and voices.

God designed this communicative device called song to bring life to the truth that our minds are tempted to simply lock away as information. He designed music to be the sunset that makes a ball of fire in the sky beautiful to us. All day long the sun has hung there in the sky and you had a general subconscious knowledge of what it was and what it did, but you were not likely grateful for it. You probably didn’t even give one thought to it.

But then God started to play the harp of hues and color and began singing the cool breeze of dusk. It took a subconscious knowledge of an everyday reality and made it a moment of beauty in your life. That’s what songs do to our worship.

We subconsciously know that we are worshiping with every breath. But when we put words of worship to song we tap into a dormant power to transform us and empower us. It’s when we sing that it takes root in our minds and gives the maximum expression possible to the truths of our heart. We were designed to delight in God and songs enable and intensify that delight more than any other tool can.

So I’m asking God today to remind me of the joy of singing to Him. I’m marking out moments in my day to sing and worship God. Would you join me?