Why Exactly Does It Help to Sing Hymns?
Good Morning Friends,
Elijah prayed for rain. And boy is it raining and thundering now as I write this. But last night the weather was great and we had choir practice. Ed Byrom, our Interim Choir Director started it off with the reading of scripture from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians and with prayer. I am glad he chose a letter from Paul for Paul knew the power of prayer and of singing too. Now forgive me as the list pours down like a long shower of rain as I think about the prayers in the Bible and their connection to the vibrations of our very soul. There are hundreds of prayers. Some are short. Some are long. Some are prayed aloud on knees bended and others standing up without an audible word as in the case of Nehemiah before he answers the king. Some are uttered as cries for help and others as praises with thanksgiving. Some are prayers for children. Some are prayers for mercy and others for healing. Abraham prayed. Jacob prayed at Peniel and softened his brother’s heart. Moses prayed and had the countenance to prove it. Samson prayed and brought the house down. David prayed for forgiveness and probably sang songs requesting forgiveness as well. Daniel prayed at the risk of his life. Jesus prayed as recorded in John 17 one of the longest prayers in the Bible and it was for us. And yes Jesus sang Hymns. Stephen prayed even as he was being stoned and the heavens open up. Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns in jail and the result was an earthquake of conversion. The convergence of prayer and song seems so powerful. You probably have heard the 23rd Psalm sung and the Lord’s Prayer in song. It is beautiful when scripture sung and prayers merge as the object of praise becomes the subject. Ok, one can pray without singing but today in the Spirit of the experience of Paul and Silas I seek to understand how they are related, even as I ask: Why Exactly Does It Help to Sing Hymns?
Scripture: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Colossians 3:16 (KJV)
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
Acts 16:25 (NIV)
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3.16-21 (NIV)
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Ephesians 5:19 (KJV)
Message: If you want to make an impression in this world pray long prayers in private and short prayers in public and when you sing hymns, songs in praise of God, do so with joy. Friends, we are commanded to sing, so when we sing hymns we obey scripture. When we sing hymns we proclaim the Word of God. When we raise our voices together in a choir for and to God we build up others. When we sing sacred music we are spiritually strengthened and in a special way fight off sin. But friends, know this, in the process we should show forth joy. Sometimes joy births singing, but always singing should birth joy. That is why Paul and Silas could sing in jail. St. Augustine is often quoted as saying that, “He who sings, prays twice.” But what I am now convinced he said was something closer to “He who sings well, prays twice.” So, we need to practice prayer and singing. I have sung enough to know the difference. You see, God intends to give us joy in Christ and that joy is to be expressed in our singing with others. And so our singing, in that regard, is a testimony to the joy that God has given to us by His grace. Friends, my experience is that when the praise is of God in love, something happens to both the singer and the song. The essentials of true prayer are lifted up. Adoration, Confession, Restitution, Thanksgiving, Forgiveness, Unity, Faith, Petition and Submission seem to be part of the way it all comes together in the love of singing to God. The beauty is that singing helps us to praise God. Singing helps us to magnify the name of God in the breaths we take in and exhale out. Singing helps us to give all of our self to God from our woofers to our tweeters. And singing helps us to learn more about God. Friends, singing has such a unique way of bringing our heart, soul, mind, and strength together to focus entirely and completely on God. Friends, when we sing we are to glorify God.
Pray for power in our praise of God. Pray the close harmonies we sing show forth the emotions of the message. Pray our unison singing make a melody of joy. Pray we sing the more excellent way of love. Pray for spiritual growth. Pray our singing brings peace and joy to the heart. Pray our singing is worthy of being called prayer. Pray the word of Christ dwells in our voices. Pray we sing because God has triumphed in us. Pray we sing because of the wondrous works on the Lord in His creation. Pray we resonate in a way that tells of the salvation and love of God. Pray the music we make glorifies God. Pray for the day God will rejoice over us in song.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 