The Spirituality of Singing

1 Chronicles 6:33

And these are they that waited with their children. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman a singer, the son of Joel, the son of Shemuel,

Music is critical to life. Music dictates the spiritual direction that a church or music is headed. You show me the type of music sung or played in a church, and I will show you where that church is headed. If an individual listens to the wrong music, they will certainly go the wrong direction. You may recall Israel in the wilderness, when Moses was on the top of Mt. Sinai receiving the commandments from God, and they were in the valley dancing naked around a golden calf while listening to the wrong music. Their music dictated their direction. You may also recall the image Nebuchadnezzar set up; it was at the sound of the music that people were to bow to his image. Only three men chose not to bow to the worldly music, and it showed their direction and spirituality to all. The music you listen to is critical to your Christian walk.

God’s Word shows the importance of music to one’s life. God created one-third of the angels in Heaven as singers in the Heavenly choir. When God wrote His Word, He chose to make one book a songbook for Israel to sing. Moses wrote a song to remind Israel of how they were to live for God, and that song was so important that God mentions it in the book of Revelation. Singing was so important that Israel often sang after they won a battle. Music is so important that God ordained singers in the temple, and these singers were as important to serving God as any other duty in the temple. The Scriptures show the importance of music in service to God and in your personal life.

However, there is no purpose for music if people don't sing the songs. There is nothing worse than going to a church service that sounds more like a funeral service because of the lack of volume when people sing. I am also amazed as to how people don't think the song service is important, as revealed in their walking in and out of the song service, and their lack of singing during the congregational songs. You see how important people think the congregational songs are by whether they show up in time for the song service. Yes, we come to church to hear the preaching of the Word of God, but the congregational singing is as much a part of the service as is the preaching. Be on time so you can participate in the song service, and sing loudly as you sing the songs. If you are singing the right songs, those songs will be about your God.

Moreover, singing in the choir is also important. Singing is spiritual, so those singing in the choir ought to be spiritual. It is hard for your singing to give a spiritual message when your life does not match the song you sing. Believers ought to live their lives in such a manner that the songs they sing match the lives they live, for when the life matches the song, the message is much louder and goes much deeper into the heart of those who hear the singing.

Furthermore, both men and women ought to sing. Often, you see women more involved in the choir, but getting men involved is hard because of their unspiritual mindset toward singing. My friend, the manliest men in the Scriptures were singers. Heman, David, and Moses were singers, and I don't believe anyone would call them sissies. Men and women ought to use their voices to sing the praises and hymns of God, and men, be sure to lead the way.