A Reason To Sing

Over the past year or two, I have become increasingly aware of a sort of antipathy towards music in worship. It's come up in the form of conversations, comments and quotes on Facebook, blog posts, and links to articles, among other things. It seems to take two basic forms: one, that too often worship is equated with music alone, so therefore a person cannot or will not enjoy or participate in the musical portion of a worship service; and two, that the music used in worship - actually, the lyrics, I believe, is what's being referred to in this instance - does not accurately reflect where a person is in his Christian walk, so therefore, he cannot or should not sing those words because they are not true (at least for him). I have listened to people talk about these issues and read some of these articles and often as a result, I have been provoked to thoughtful reflection on the concept of music in worship. But although I have tried to listen well and hear what is actually being said, I have also felt broadsided by the criticism and cynicism that seems to accompany much of this discussion.

Now I will freely admit that I am a musical person. Music is important to me. I love music. I teach music. Music has always been a part of my life. God speaks to me through music.

But I think this issue goes beyond preferences and giftings and what appeals to us as individuals. This issue comes up against a larger issue of discipline and obedience. This is not about whether I enjoy music or whether I'm a good singer or whether I can play an instrument or not. It's not about whether I agree with all of the philosophies of people leading music or using music in worship. This is not even about whether or not I can carry a tune or feel comfortable singing in a group. Ultimately, this comes down to whether or not I take God seriously when He says something. And God does have something to say about music: He says "Sing to the Lord. Make music. Play skillfully. Make melodies in your hearts. Speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs." It's in both the Old and New Testaments. (See 1 Chronicles 16:23; Psalm 30:4; Psalm 96:1-2; Isaiah 42:10-11; Ephesians 5:18-20; Colossians 3:15-17; a myriad of psalms and other references I did not list. Look it up for yourself – music is all through the Bible!)

The first side of this discussion that I mentioned is that too often music is equated with worship. I agree. It is true that, sadly, the words "worship" and "music" are often interchangeable in Christian circles. They shouldn't be, because music is only one aspect of worship, which is giving God what He is worth or acknowledging His "worth-ship." Worship should be a part of every aspect of life for the believer, whether he is singing an anthem with a marvelous choir or scrubbing a dirty toilet. Trust me, I know about both singing with choirs and toilet-scrubbing. I was a music major at a Christian university and I was privileged to sing wonderful, majestic pieces of God-praising music with choirs of gifted people. I also worked on a custodial crew in my dormitory, and more than once, God reminded me that I was to do everything as unto Him - whether I was singing or cleaning toilets (Colossians 3:17, 22-24). (Sometimes, I even did both at the same time...!)

Like I said, I enjoy music. I love to sing. However, I hate scrubbing toilets. I do not enjoy it at all - but I have a choice and an opportunity to present that act of service as worship to the Lord. On the other hand, because music comes naturally to me, I can just as easily be in danger of mindlessly singing songs without truly worshipping. It all lies in the heart and a desire to offer everything I do as worship to the Lord, whether I enjoy it or not, and whether I'm "good" at it or not.

So, yes, I agree that music is not always the same thing as worship - but music is a way to worship, and God does tell us to use it in worship. How much it is used, or how loudly a person sings or what role it plays in worship may vary from person to person. I believe there is freedom for those differences of opinion and preference. I disagree, however, that we have the option of doing without it at all simply because it is sometimes given more importance than it should be assigned. The commands to sing are still there in Scripture, along with the commands to pray, to give thanks, to teach the Word, to give to the poor, to love one another, etc. We should not throw out one part simply because it is overused or misused or because we personally don't like it. This is where obedience and discipline come in - will we obey even when we don't feel like it or the circumstances don't match our expectations? Will we choose to worship because God is worthy of our worship, not because we like the form worship is taking at the moment?

The second form of arguments I've come across is to the effect that singing words that are not true in a person's life makes that person a liar, and since lying is wrong, the implied conclusion is that he should not sing those words. One example I remember being used for this idea was the old hymn, "Victory In Jesus." The author of this particular article seemed to feel that if he was not experiencing victory in his life then he didn't have any business singing about it.

I disagree. There is victory in Jesus, and just because someone doesn't feel it in his life doesn't make it less true. It may mean that he is not living it out as he is called to do, which in turn means that he needs to do some soul-searching, some praying and some repenting. Personally, when I sing a song with words that I know should be true but currently aren't true for me, this is what it says to me: it says that there is more to life than what I see, what I experience and what I feel. There is another reality - also known as eternity or the Kingdom of God - that is truer and more real than this world and this life, and that is where I am called to live. No, the words may not be true for me today, in this moment, but they can become a prayer that they would be true and a challenge to be obedient and make them true. Sometimes it makes me pause in the middle of the song and think more deeply about what I'm testifying to as I sing. Sometimes I do need to drop out for a verse or two or three until I've confessed my sinfulness and neediness to the Lord. I do want to be authentic and real in what I sing, in how I live, in what I say and do. But if I wait until every aspect of my life matches what I know to be true from the Bible, I will never be able to sing truth or speak truth. There will always be room for growth and change, and the truth in these songs makes me desire to do just that - grow and change until Christ is formed in me.

I titled this post "A Reason To Sing" because a song has been running through my head a couple of days now. The bridge says the following:

"All of my life,
In every season,
You are still God -
I have a reason to sing,
I have a reason to worship."

My intent is not to downplay or trivialize anyone's honest search for truth in this area of music and worship. It just seems that often this struggle becomes more focused on the people themselves than on Scripture and God. I've been troubled by this attitude towards music for awhile now, but as I was singing these words yesterday and today, they reminded me once again of the facts that we are commanded to sing and that truth is not based on how we feel.

The truth is that we serve a great God. He is always God, no matter what season of life we are facing, no matter what our circumstances may be at the moment, no matter what we are struggling with, no matter how we feel.

He is always worthy of our worship in every aspect of our lives.

And if we will remember that, then I believe we can always find a reason to sing.