Its Personal! Sing!

One of the privileges and responsibilities of each Christian is the opportunity to worship the Creator of the universe.  Worship is a personal action.  Sure, worship in an assembly of people is a group activity.  But, each person in the group is responsible for his or her own actions in the worship experience.  It is important, therefore, for each of us to grasp fully this personal aspect of worship.

We begin by considering the singing.  The first recorded time of singing to the LORD is in Exodus 15:1-19.  Moses led the people in singing to the LORD after the Egyptian army was destroyed in the Red Sea.  It may be that Moses wrote the song.  His sister Miriam also wrote a song and sang with the women Exodus 15:20-21.

Singing was a part of worship even before the temple was constructed.  When the Ark of the Covenant returned to Israel after having been taken in war by the Philistines, the Bible records David’s actions with respect to singing.  “On that day David first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the Lord.” (I Chronicles 16:7).

Later, King David began making preparations for the building of the temple.  Included in his plans were musicians and singers (I Chronicles 25:1-3).  Verse 7 mentions singing specifically, “So the number of them, with their brethren who were instructed in the songs of the Lord, all who were skillful, was two hundred and eight-eight.”

The New Testament states the importance of singing to the Lord.  “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name…” (Hebrews 13:15).  This is the reason that Paul wrote to the Ephesians about singing, “…speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord…” (Ephesians 5:19).

His words to the Christians in Colossae were basically the same.  “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).

Here is the point of all of this.  The Lord wants us to sing.  When we are a part of an assembly of worship in song, each one of us should be singing.  There is no place in worship for listening to singing.  The passages above clearly show that each one should be singing.  Singing in worship is personal.  It is my responsibility to sing with everyone else.  God does not care how I sound when I sing.  He only cares that I make the sounds of singing.  Take singing personally.

— Mike Johnson