We will sing. It amazes me how different we are when it comes to music. What causes one person’s heart to rejoice causes another to shutter. However, the common thread that we all can relate to is that music does something to us. It may be different styles, cadence, rhythms, or genre, but there is likely some type of music that causes your heart to leap. The reality is that it is hardwired in our DNA to sing. Now, I am not suggesting that our singing will always sound good to the ear, but we will sing. It may be a hum, a sign, a clap, a leap, a sway or many other forms, but we will sing.
Singing is an expression of a joyful heart that overflows into some form of rhythmic celebration. God put that inside of us. From the youngest to the oldest, we sing. Yet, there is a rebellious side we all possess that has taken what should be joyous and turned it into something dreadful. This happens when we focus too much on the melody and too little on the message. Don’t get me wrong! I love a good beat, hook, and rhythmic cadence. Nothing like bobbing to a ferocious beat or cadence. However, we all can think of songs that had a killer beat, but the message was horrible. It wasn’t until we had been singing along for 90 seconds or several minutes until we recognized the lyrical tragedy flowing from our mouth. We must be intentional in making sure the message is just as beautiful as the melody. At times you may have to choose which one and I believe the melody must take a back seat to the message. The message we sing is more important than the melody which we sing.
The first song recorded in the Bible is found in Exodus 15. It is the song of Moses. God had just delivered Israel from the wrath of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. He brought them across the Red Sea on dry ground while using the same path to destroy the Egyptians. After watching God perform this miracle, Moses and the children of Israel began to sing. I am not sure of the melody and my Western experience of music makes it hard to follow the tune of this song. It does not match the poetic syncopations I am used to hearing. However, it does match the prophetic singing I am used to declaring. This first song is about a Great God that deliverers. It is about a God that can do the impossible and saves those that call out to Him. It is about His might and strength. It is about His power and sufficiency. When it comes to congregational singing, this gives us a template of what it should entail. It should remind us of the Greatness of our God and that all of our hope should rest in Him. Singing awakens us to our joy found in the Lord.
This week you will sing. I pray that some of the songs you sing, will remind you that your God is big and your problems are small against the backdrop of this big God. May you sing fervently throughout the week so that when Sunday comes and you join with the congregation, your natural response will be to sing loudly unto this Great God.
