Sing with Joy!
“…Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”
– Ephesians 5:19-20
You’re probably expecting an article on thankfulness this month, and that’s always a good idea. Every one of us has blessings to thank God for. But this year, I want to talk about singing.
Sometimes I use the Episcopal Church’s morning prayer liturgy, and it includes a prayer that says, “Let your people sing with joy.” That warms my heart. Singing has always been part of the way that God’s people worship. As far back as the second book of the Bible (Exodus), we find songs of praise. The whole book of Psalms was probably a songbook. The New Testament encourages us to sing to the Lord! The book of revelation describes angels and humans who spend their time singing God’s praises too. And of course you know that we spend a lot of our time in Sunday worship singing.
So why do we do it? Well, Presbyterians are good at using our minds to study the Bible and ideas about God. Sometimes it can be more challenging to involve our hearts in worship. Yes, it’s a stereotype, but men can often find that heart-centered worship more difficult too. Words are great, but song touches a different part of us. There’s something about music – and I think God designed it this way – that makes it easier to feel something.
One of our church members recently reminded me of the power of singing in my devotional time – the time I set aside each day to spend with God. Singing can connect us with God in a powerful way. In fact, sometimes I’m so bogged down with things to do, worries, tiredness, and concerns that I find it difficult to pray. What can you do when you don’t feel like you can pray? Sing! Well, sometimes I sing. Other times, I let someone else do the singing. I put on a CD and listen to some Christian music. Usually, that lifts me up enough that I can talk to God.
Sometimes people tell me that they’re bad singers and so they just listen when they come to worship. I think we all miss out on something when people do that. The Psalms talk about making a “joyful noise” to God. What matters isn’t the quality of our singing but what’s in our hearts. I helped lead the music at Last Call last week, and I was surprised to see how many were just listening. Sure, there’s a time for that, but I’d sure prefer to see/hear more of us making a “joyful noise.” Give it a try. Nobody will hear you! You can also sing to God in the car or in the shower, or out on a walk when nobody’s listening.
Just in case you think I’m making too big a deal about this, you might want to see what the Bible has to say on the subject. There are just a few places in the Bible that talk about singing to God. (And I didn’t even include angels, animals, or inanimate objects singing 
Look ‘em up and join in the song!
Romans 15:9, 1 Corinthians 14:15, Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16, James 5:13, Zechariah 2:10, Zephaniah 3:14, Jeremiah 20:13, Isaiah 42:10, Isaiah 12:6, Exodus 15:1 & 21, Judges 5:3, 1 Chronicles 16:9 & 23, Psalms 5, 7, 9, 13, 18, 21, 27, 30, 33, 47, 51, 57, 59, 61, 63, 65-68, 71, 75, 81, 89, 92, 95, 96, 98, 101, 104, 105, 108, 119, 135, 138, 144, 145-147, 149.
I hope you’ll join my in the pray that God’s people will sing with joy – today, in Sunday worship, for the rest of our lives, and then in heaven together!
Singing with Joy with You,
Pastor Steve