“Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!”
Throughout God’s Word, we see a common response to God’s mercy, kindness, love, righteousness, and justice; to worship. But more specifically, we see God’s people worship through song. Moses and his sister Miriam lead the Israelites in song after God brought them through the Red Sea, freeing them from their enslavement in Egypt (Ex 15:1-21). The Psalms are packed with David’s songs to the Lord, and songs from many other Jewish writers (Psalms 1:1-150:6, Yes, the whole book!). The Gospels even have a few songs (Luke 1:46-56, 68-79, 2:29-32).
So, what is our worship through song supposed to look like? First, let’s look at what our songs should contain. Scripture tells us in Psalm 105:2, as shown above, that we recount what God has done for us. Now we don’t just stop at what God has done, but we also give thanks for His wondrous works (Psalm 95:2; 105:1). We also see commonly throughout the Psalms that not only do we sing of God’s deeds but of his attributes as well (Psalm 103:8). Now, this is not an exhaustive list of what songs of worship can look like but is a good place to start.
Next, let’s look at how we worship. We are to sing to the only one who is worthy with joy, not out of obligation (Psalm 95:1). And with a grateful heart, for thanksgiving is not only the substance of our worship but should also be a description of our hearts (Psalm 95:2). Psalm 104:33 shows us that singing the praises of God is not a phase that passes but we are to worship God as long as we live! Jesus, when talking to the woman at the well, tells her that where we worship doesn’t matter, but that we would worship in spirit and truth (John 4:21-24). Paul reiterates this point in his first letter to the Corinthians, “…I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also” (1 Corinthians 14:15). Music is not just to stir us spiritually but engage us mentally.
These last two verses are the inspiration, as well as a love for music, for this new series. So often we sing the same songs for years and miss the truths that are straight from Scripture. Or the poetic lyrics or enticing melodies distract from what the author is really saying. In this series, I’ll be unpacking these truths and discussing them in the context of the scriptures. The primary focus will be on songs with good theology, but as the Lord leads, I may address a song with bad theology.
When looking at Christian music, I’ll be dividing it up into 4 categories; Cooperate Worship, Individual Worship, Christian Living, and Songs of the Bible. I define corporate worship as songs that encourage singing in a group setting and are singularly focused on praising God. Personal worship songs are songs that have a similar focus, but either the music style or the lyrics are focused more on an individual rather than the body of Christ. Christian Living songs are those that give glory to God but focus on themes of a Christ-filled life and life application rather than direct praise. Songs of the Bible is an additional descriptor that can apply to songs in any of the three categories above. These songs are either a direct quotation from scripture, have a portion of scripture that is quoted and provides the main theme or tell a story from the Bible.
I look forward to this endeavor and sharing my passion for God’s word as it is expressed through music and hope you find something interesting as well as new songs to praise our wonderful Savior. Tune in here at CultivatingFaith.org on the 2nd Tuesday of each month for a new post on The Word in Music. Next month we will look at the song Even If by Mercy Me.
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