On Singing

“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!” ~Psalm 95:1-2

Protestantism in the 1990s and early 2000s was marked by the so-called “Worship Wars.” (This nomenclature assumes that “worship” is exclusively “singing,” which we would contend is an anemic definition, but a full discussion on that topic is too lengthy for this devotional). The “Worship Wars” centered around questions of appropriate instruments in corporate worship, contemporary songs versus traditional hymns, robed choirs versus praise bands, etc. As many of you are aware, these wars caused significant damage in many churches, and in some cases, the debate still rages.

Whatever your perspective on the “Worship Wars” — whether you love a piano or long to hear an electric guitar — the one thing we must agree upon is the posture of our hearts when we sing (there’s a whole other discussion to be had about physical posture!): it must be joyful.

The psalmists affirm that our singing is to be joyful because the Lord has given us joy in our salvation. Consider Psalm 98:3-4: “All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!“ Psalm 95 says the same thing: “let us make a joyful noise…with songs of praise!” In other words, whatever we think about instrumentation or choirs or song selection, we must have joy when we sing.

You may be asking, “Aren’t there psalms of lament which were sung by Israel in times of distress?” Of course there were (Psalms 3, 13, 22, 44, 88). “Are we allowed to sing songs of lament in our days of trouble?” Yes! Songs of lament are an important component of the Christian life and corporate worship. But even in the midst of trouble, are not God’s people told to maintain joy? Think of the apostle’s words in Philippians 4:4 when he says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” And he wrote this from prison! Elsewhere he says, “Rejoice always” (I Thessalonians 5:17). The point is this: when we sing praises to God in acknowledgement of who He is and what He has done (or what He has promised to do), we ought to be filled with a holy joy, if for no other reason than we are invited to sing praises to such a God — one we call Father.

”Forlorn, forlorn we adore thee” never crossed the mind of Henry van Dyke when he penned the poem “The Hymn of Joy” in 1907. Rather, he grasped what the psalmists commend — that we sing to the Lord with joy for the joy He has given.

When you sing this Lord’s Day, remember that God knows your circumstances and your frame. He is fully aware of your hardships and pain. And He is sovereign over them all. So sing to Him with joy, since you know that all things come to you through His Fatherly hand, and that He works all things out for your salvation.

Rev. Kyle Lockhart, Pastor of Teaching & Spiritual Formation