What We Sing
When is the last time you got to the end of a worship song and thought, “What did I just sing?” Or maybe you seized the opportunity to condemn a song for being “unbiblical,” sliding passive aggressive comments to someone saying something along the lines of, “I don’t see that in the Word of God…” I can’t count how many times I have heard God’s people utter these words. Just as often as I have heard attacks on musical expression within worship, I have heard the critics voice their self-perceived wisdom about the lyrical content within these very songs. Maybe you even look at another church’s worship ministry as a stumbling block because their views and expressions as a church differ from your’s. This should not be. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth admonishing them not to be carnal in believing that because they were of Apollos or himself, that they had cornered the market spiritually. (I Cor. 3:1-4) Just because we belong to a certain church never means that we have a license to allow this kind of pride and sectarianism within our hearts. Jesus forbids this kind of mentality (Mark 9:38-41) & (Luke 9:49-50). Many of God’s servants were attacked throughout Scripture and there is no exception for the songwriter, musician, and/or worship leader that is called by God. To get to the root of this issue, sometimes it is necessary to pull up a chair to the table of this discussion, bringing truth in love and letting over-zealousness and personal opinion be shoved to the rear. Here are just a few thoughts that God has showed me over the years pertaining to this discussion of what we sing.
One thing to always keep in mind is that the psalmists, hymnodists, and spirit-filled chorus writers were and are people, just like you and I. They have a fallen nature, they are processing a broken world, they weep, they laugh, they rejoice, they sin; they are not any more spiritual than the person next to them and are weary sojourners just like you and I. This year I have been slowly studying through the Psalms, and as I let the Spirit guide me in these times, I have seen a large list of things the Holy Spirit had the psalmists write about: heart-cries, requests, musical instruction, selahs, intercessions, inner turmoil, depression, praises, singing, and the list goes on. All this to say, next time you read through any of the 150 Psalms, let God’s Holy Spirit open your eyes to what is written within them. Many of the attacks and questionings I have heard throughout the years on certain lyrics within songs are easily refutable by the content that lies within Israel’s songbook. This songbook is also an inspiration and a foundation for the song-leaders, songwriters, and musicians of our day as well. Many of the words within worship songs that are often misunderstood or over-examined, are those honest words that came across a songwriter’s mind and from their heart when trying to process certain events in their lives. Take for instance the words of David in writing Psalm 62 to Jeduthun. In verse 8 he exhorts, “Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah.” (ESV) The admonishment to pour out our hearts before God oftentimes will result in words from people from all walks of life and all sorts of personalities and backgrounds whose vocabulary others may consider to be “unbiblical.” When honesty with God and man pours out of a person’s heart, the result is raw words of realism in what they are going through at that given moment. Sometimes these very people are fighting to find the right words because at times, they may be speechless in their circumstances, but are trying to explain the best way they know how. These honest words and heart-cries are just a taste of what we hear on a weekly basis on the radio or even in congregational worship as we sing unto Him, about Him, and through Him along our life’s journey.
What we sing about matters to God. Singing should be like breathing. We are exhorted to pray without ceasing; so over time, these very same prayers, intercessions, praises, cries, and joyful shouts should work their way into the words that we sing, privately and corporately. There is a richness that takes place within our souls when we bear our hearts before the Lord with melodies from our lips. The Word of Christ dwells in us richly, in all wisdom, as we teach and admonish one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord (Colossians 3:16). Because we come from various walks of life, many of these songs may have different flavors, expressions, and tones as they are sung. But there is another key point that needs to be taken into account. Just because some of these words may not be sung verbatim from the Scriptures, does not mean they are unbiblical. Just imagine for a second that you are a poet or songwriter that has been commissioned by God to pen down a poem or song for Him. When you begin to write, would you try to make sure that you write and mimic the exact words of another? Certainly not, you would take the truth, knowledge, and skills you have learned, and write it in such a way as to exercise your own intellect and creativity that God has placed within you! It would be a shame for an artist to not be themselves and to try and be someone that they are not. That is why it is so important to not allow harsh criticism of God’s people who have been called to this place of pouring into and leading God’s people in worship through music and song. So, just as important as it is to look into what we sing, is how we go about it. The heart posture is of the utmost importance to God and when our hearts are in proper alignment with our Maker, we will be able to sing and worship alongside our brothers and sisters, no longer with a judgmental attitude or with a critical spirit within us, but from a place of honesty, transparency, and unrestraint; no longer caught in the snare of fear of man, but in complete awe and wonder of our Savior.
