In my post, titled Three Reasons Why You Should Sing More, I talked about how important it is that we sing. We are designed to sing, commanded to sing, and we have a reason to sing. But what actually happens when we sing? Why is it so important to sing that God commanded it? I want to give four things that happen when we sing to help understand the value and importance it has in our Christian walk:
1. Singing Stirs Affections
- Worship is about loving God from the heart, and singing is the language of the heart. (Read more about that in “Music and Worship: What’s the Connection?”) So it makes a lot of sense that we sing together to stir up our love for God and each other.
- If you think back to your first date, you probably ate food and talked and laughed and told stories, but I bet there’s something you didn’t do on your first date… Sing. Singing is an intimate act. It’s like being naked in your spirit. Singing is to worship what sex is to marriage. It’s intimate. It’s vulnerable. It’s a mingling of the heart, soul, and body in a way that stirs our affections for God.
- It makes us vulnerable and we don’t like to be vulnerable. It can be embarrassing. But this is what God desires of us.
- “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” Psalm 139:23-24
2. Singing Fights For Your Spirit
- If you were to watch a short film on Netflix or Disney+ with the volume up and your eyes closed, you could probably give an educated guess as to what was happening simply by listening to the soundtrack. A moment of fear or suspense presents itself with a dissonant minor chord or unresolved tension, but a triumphant moment might be accompanied with a crescendo and resolution in the music.
- Our hearts are greatly affected by music. This is why we might listen to classical music to calm down or beach music when we want to relax. It’s also why we listen to more upbeat music when we want to work out. Our hearts and our blood pressure actually sync to the music. https://www.londonsinginginstitute.co.uk/what-happens-when-we-sing/
- In 1 Samuel 16, the Bible tells of the story of King Saul who was tormented by an evil spirit. So he sent for a musician, who happened to be David. David played his harp peacefully and the evil spirit left King Saul. There were no lyrics mentioned, but the music itself was enough to drive the evil spirit away.
- We have been commanded to sing and to be joyful, and singing can help usher us into a spirit of joy. It is one of the best weapons for fighting depression, anxiety, and fear. (ref: 3 Reasons Why You Should Sing More)
3. Singing is One of the Best Teachers
- I’ve heard it said before that the role of singing in church is to prepare hearts for the teaching of God’s Word. And although I believe this is true, what we often fail to see is that singing is teaching. Songs are like sermons that catechize us. We may not always remember a sermon, but we will remember a song.
- Colossians 3:16 says “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”
- We are to teach and admonish one another with songs because songs are the best teachers. And what the church sings, the church believes.
- You probably learned your alphabet because you put the ABC’s to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. And now, when you need to alphabetize something, you might hum the ABC song quietly to find out if M comes before N (or maybe that’s just me.)
- It’s vital to have good theology in the songs we sing because when life throws us a curve, our belief about suffering or evil will be informed by our songs.
4. Singing Unifies Like Nothing Else Can
- Singing unifies the mind, body, and spirit to be at one; and it also unifies believers in Christ to be unified with one another. And unity is paramount to the Christian faith.
- Psalm 133:1 “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”
It Unifies Mind, Body, and Spirit
- Singing centers us. It’s like getting a chiropractic adjustment of the spirit and mind. It unites our emotions with our thoughts and actions. No other human activity uses more parts of the brain than singing. Our speech engages the left side of the brain, while singing rhythms and melodies engages the right side. This might explain why someone with a speech impediment might be able to sing without it and why so many people lose their regional accents while singing. https://www.londonsinginginstitute.co.uk/what-happens-when-we-sing/
It Unifies Us With Each Other
- Though singing together in corporate worship may appear to be nothing more than a temporary moment of unity, corporate worship is training believers for something eternal. Studies have shown that singing releases endorphins and oxytocin, which stimulates trust and bonding with others. https://www.londonsinginginstitute.co.uk/what-happens-when-we-sing/
- When we sing together, we are synchronizing our breathing and heartbeats with other believers and with God. The bond of unity is strengthened by singing together, and in a day when division is so pervasive, even in the church, singing may even be that much more valuable.
Christians are to sing to stir affections, to combat evil spirits, to grow in our knowledge and understanding of the gospel, and to promote unity. Perhaps one of the most powerful weapons for worship and discipleship is found in singing together. So let us sing wholeheartedly as we grow more and more like Jesus.