Praise in Song

Part 4

Ephesians 5:19

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns

and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

In studying more into praise in song,

you can't go past the verses in Colossians and Ephesians.

Notice in Colossians we are told to 'teach and admonish'

one another in song. So, teaching and admonishing were to

be, and should be present, even in song.

Our music should have another object than to please the ear.

Music is not only for enjoyment, but also for edification.

The word 'teaching' here has to do with imparting instruction,

instilling doctrine, explaining or expounding something.

And the word 'admonish' has to do with warning or exhorting.

So, our songs of praise should not only lift praise

to God, but also teach and admonish others and ourselves.

And that's where good, sound, doctrinal songs are important.

When we sing, we are relaying a message. The message is

so much more important than how well, or how poorly

we sing it out.

Matthew Henry puts it like this:

“But, when we sing psalms, we make no melody unless we sing with grace in our hearts, unless we are suitably affected with what we sing and go along in it with true devotion and understanding. Singing of psalms is a teaching ordinance as well as a praising ordinance; and we are not only to quicken and encourage ourselves, but to teach and admonish one another, mutually excite our affections, and convey instructions.”

We notice also that we must sing with

grace in our hearts to the Lord.

“that which affords joy, pleasure, delight,

sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech,

good will, loving kindness, favour” to the Lord!

This comes back to singing with the right motives.

All too often, we hear a beautiful song

sung, with perfect harmony, meaningful words,

doctrinally sound, but sung with a heart of pride.

Sung with the praise of men in mind. No spirit-filled

overflowing of the heart, just a perfectly executed song,

that might has well have been executed for all the good

it did the singer and the hearer.

The purpose of our psalms and hymns and

spiritual songs, is to glorify God, and He is

pleased when we use music as a means of

worshipping Him. Spiritual music gives voice

to our joy and adoration unlike anything else.

If we are singing in sincerity, really taking notice

of the words, singing with meaning,

our spirits are lifted as we sing praise to God.

When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, then psalms, hymns

and spiritual songs are the natural expression of our hearts.

How easy it is to catch yourself singing to the Lord

when your heart is happy and you are full of the joy of the Lord.

It doesn't matter one bit if you can't hold a tune in a bucket.

God sees our hearts and He knows our sincerity.

Psalms 28:7

The LORD is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusted in him, and I am helped:

therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

He also tells us in the Psalms to 'make a joyful noise unto the Lord'

and sometimes, the person standing beside us in church is making

a joyful noise to the Lord, and although their tuneless song distracts

us somewhat, and comes across as just a noise,

God sees their heart and their praise of Him IS a joyful noise.

In Ephesians it tells us to 'speak to ourselves in psalms, and hymns and

spiritual songs and make melody to the Lord'.

A song that arises from someone whose heart overflows with

praise and adoration of God is a blessing to God,

and sweet music to His ears. In these two verses,

we are told to help others and to help ourselves through

the use of music.

But be warned, music is not all about how it makes us feel,

but how it makes God feel. Our music is to show praise

to God. A lot of the time, our emphasis in singing is completely

misplaced and we think that the purpose of singing is all about

the worshipper, that we feel good, or feel moved.

Music holds a great power and there is always that danger

in our song services that the real purpose of music in churches

is forgotten and replaced with 'feel good' songs

and singing in order to set the mood.

Being a musician myself, I know very well the power

of music and how it can be used to sway the emotions

and stir people, and there is a fine line between using music

to help set the right atmosphere in church and using it

to move people to make emotional based decisions.

If we focus on singing in praise and adoration of God,

and let that be our motive, our song will be pleasing to God.

Sometimes, instead of singing the words to a song,

it is a good idea to slowly read them aloud,

as we so often skim over them in song,

but when we slow down and read them,

we see great truths about God,

that we may not have noticed before.

A very well known hymn, written by Robert Grant,

so aptly sings the praises of God.

Take time to read it through slowly

and maybe for the first time,

take in the true meaning of the song,

and speak the words as a prayer to God.

O Worship the King

O worship the King all-glorious above,
O gratefully sing his power and his love:
our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days,
pavilioned in splendour and girded with praise.

O tell of his might and sing of his grace,
whose robe is the light, whose canopy space.
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
and dark is his path on the wings of the storm.

Your bountiful care, what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;
it streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,
and sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
in you do we trust, nor find you to fail.
Your mercies, how tender, how firm to the end,
our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend!

O measureless Might, unchangeable Love,
whom angels delight to worship above!
Your ransomed creation, with glory ablaze,
in true adoration shall sing to your praise!