lead worship at times in my church. As a parent are used to love to sing songs
to my children and make up songs about them, My wife is always encouraging me to sing to her and
sometimes even goads me to step out and do karaoke. My favorite time of singing is when I
gather together with the body of Christ and sing during worship at church. The church I currently
attend, Harbor Church in Pompano Beach, sings every Sunday for 45 minutes to an
hour and . I love it! Singing is truly my favorite part of church,
There's just something about singing isn't there? Singing will be an important part in eternity of worshiping God in Heaven when we are all gathered around the Him at the Throne.
Revelation 15:2-3 "And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. 3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints."
Revelation 14:2-3 "And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: 3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth."
In the book of Revelation we see over and over scenes of multitudes singing songs of worship and praise to God together forever and ever and ever and never bored or tired engaged and joyfully excitedly and engaged.
The Psalms are full of exhortations to sing. Here is a sample of what the Psalms say about singing:
Psalms 5:11: “Let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.”
Psalms 9:2: “I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.”
Psalms 51:14: “Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.”
Psalms 59:16: “I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress.”
Psalms 63:7: “For you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.”
If you still don’t believe me, here’s a clincher from James 5:13: “Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.”Why is it we love seeing so much? One reason is that singing is a gift that enables us to express our deepest longings for God that increase as they are expressed. Passions often wither in silence. Undeclared delight is a virtual contradiction in terms. God never intended for our joy to be quiet. C.S. Lewis wrote;
"I think we delight to praise what we enjoy: because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation." There's nothing more frustrating than an experience of sheer delight in the absence of someone with whom you can share it. I went to four national parks one summer by myself and it was very lonely and very empty without someone to share the beauty with. When I see a glorious sunset my instinctive reaction is to shout at anyone within earshot `Did you see that? Wow!' To leave my exultation unexpressed is unthinkable. So it is with singing in worship, but on an even grander scale. When I gather with God loving, on fire, white hot worshippers something happens both in my being in the presence of the Lord with them all and joining them in expression of our delight in God together.
Singing is not only the expression of joy, it is the soil in which additional and even greater joy is seeded. As we celebrate God in word and praise, the Spirit works within to cultivate still deeper delight in God that cries out to be vented in exuberant exultation. Enjoyment issues in worship. Worship incites knowledge. Knowledge awakens joy. This joy issues in worship ... and so it goes, to the gladness of our hearts and the glory of God!
But there is another reason that we love seeing so much? I think it is because singing is a very
part of the nature of God and one of God's delights and pleasures is expressing joy in singing. God sings and expresses joy with songs like we do. We were made in the image of God in the ability to sing and enjoy music like He does!
One of my favorite scriptures is where we see God thinking about His people, As He does, He opens His mouth and sings with inexpressible joy!
"The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing."
Zephaniah 3:14-17
God's love for His people is so infinitely intense that He quite literally sings for joy. The depth of His affection is such that mere words prove paltry and inadequate. So profoundly intimate is God's devotion to you that He bursts forth in sacred song. Can you imagine?
Or the time we see Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, singing.
"After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." (Mark 14:29)
Can you hear Jesus singing? Was he a bass or a tenor? Was there a down-home twang to his voice? Or was there an unwavering crystal pitch? Did he close his eyes and sing to his Father? Or
did he look into his disciples’ eyes and smile at their deep camaraderie? Did he
usually start the song? Or did he join in when John started it, or Bartholomew? Would he always sing lead or did he like to harmonize as well? Did he only sing Psalms from the Old Testament? Or did he make up songs?
Oh, I can hardly wait to hear Jesus sing! I think the planets would be jolted out
of orbit if he lifted his native voice in our universe. But we have a kingdom
that cannot be shaken; so, Lord, come on and sing.
It could not be otherwise but that Christianity be a singing faith. The founder
sang. He learned to sing from his Father. Surely they have been singing together
from all eternity. The Bible says the aim of song is “to raise the sound of joy”
(1 Chronicles 15:16). No one in the universe has more joy than God. He is
infinitely joyful. He has rejoiced from eternity in the panorama of his own
perfections reflected perfectly in the deity of his Son.
God’s joy is unimaginably powerful. He is God. When he speaks galaxies come into
being. And when he sings for joy more energy is released than exists in all the
matter and motion of the universe. If he appointed song for us to release our
heart’s delight in him, is this not because he also knows the joy of releasing
his own heart’s delight in himself in song? We are a singing people because we
are the children of a singing God. No wonder I love to sing!!
Pastor Bill
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