To Sing Or Not To Sing?
Growing up, we’re told not to be “conformed to this world, but be transformed through the renewing of your mind”. (Romans 12:2)
We’re told not to judge how, or what we can do by comparing ourselves to others.
Except in one thing I’ve noticed; we don’t sing like we should. And maybe it’s just because I sing that I’ve noticed it (in myself and others), but if we don’t sound good singing, we don’t do it.
Colossians 3:16 says, “...singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
We’re not called to sing (and only sing) when we sound good. Psalm 100 says,
What a beautiful picture! “Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”
When we sing (especially in Church or during any time of worship), we are not supposed to be paying any attention to anything besides God. We shouldn’t let our minds wander to thoughts such as, “I don’t sound as good as them, so I’m not going to sing very loudly”, or the one that I’ve been recently convicted of, “I have a little bit of congestion and my voice sounds funny when I sing, so I’m not going to sing.”
This past Sunday (and the Sunday before), I still had some congestion left over from my last sickness, which consequently made me (somewhat) sing through my nose. I do not like singing through my nose because it just sounds so bad (to me, at least). So, instead of fully “singing out” like I normally do, I sang quietly, or I didn’t sing at all.
And God started convicting me about it.
Because, to put it bluntly, God could care less how I sounded when I sang. I could be the most famous singer on earth, or the person that always sings off-key and God would love my praises the same. Compared to the angelic hosts that are always praising before Him, the most beautiful voice on earth probably sounds like a “coyote in a trash-compactor”, after all.
Do you know what the most wondrous part about singing to Him is? It is that God doesn’t care if you are singing perfectly or off-key because all He wants is your heart. All He wants is for you to die to yourself, stop singing for men’s accolade (why else would we be worried about our voice unless we were trying to impress those around us?), and give ourselves completely to Him
Lately (meaning over the last 8 months or so), God has been convicting me about how/why I sing. And everytime I think I’m getting better, God reveals another layer that needs to come off. I started learning about not singing for man’s praise, but I’m just learning that that also means not worrying about it when I am also sick.
Every time He asks for a little bit more of me. Hebrews 12:28 says, For our God is a consuming fire.
If we really want to live a life pleasing Him and following His will, He must consume us. We must open-handedly give Him our heart for Him to mold and to burn away our dross. We cannot hold anything back from Him.
And it’s painful. O, so painful sometimes.
It seems like it would be so much easier if God never bothered us, never asked us to step out of the boat and walk on the water. But, if He never consumed us, we would never know the rich blessings that come from serving Him completely and the peace that He gives when we do trust Him. We would instead be living in a lukewarm life, missing everything that God could have used us for.
Hebrews 12:11 says, Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Singing is just one way that God has been teaching me to let go of trying to please man and to simply be looking for God’s “well done, good and faithful servant”, because nothing else matters.
When we stand before Him, our family and friends won’t be there. We will be by ourselves when we behold His awe-inspiring majesty and glory. And at that moment we will realize, Why did I not do what He had called me to do? Why did I not let myself fall completely into His hands and live completely for Him?
We only have one life to give to Him.
We’re told not to judge how, or what we can do by comparing ourselves to others.
Except in one thing I’ve noticed; we don’t sing like we should. And maybe it’s just because I sing that I’ve noticed it (in myself and others), but if we don’t sound good singing, we don’t do it.
Colossians 3:16 says, “...singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
We’re not called to sing (and only sing) when we sound good. Psalm 100 says,
Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.
What a beautiful picture! “Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”
When we sing (especially in Church or during any time of worship), we are not supposed to be paying any attention to anything besides God. We shouldn’t let our minds wander to thoughts such as, “I don’t sound as good as them, so I’m not going to sing very loudly”, or the one that I’ve been recently convicted of, “I have a little bit of congestion and my voice sounds funny when I sing, so I’m not going to sing.”
This past Sunday (and the Sunday before), I still had some congestion left over from my last sickness, which consequently made me (somewhat) sing through my nose. I do not like singing through my nose because it just sounds so bad (to me, at least). So, instead of fully “singing out” like I normally do, I sang quietly, or I didn’t sing at all.
And God started convicting me about it.
Because, to put it bluntly, God could care less how I sounded when I sang. I could be the most famous singer on earth, or the person that always sings off-key and God would love my praises the same. Compared to the angelic hosts that are always praising before Him, the most beautiful voice on earth probably sounds like a “coyote in a trash-compactor”, after all.
Do you know what the most wondrous part about singing to Him is? It is that God doesn’t care if you are singing perfectly or off-key because all He wants is your heart. All He wants is for you to die to yourself, stop singing for men’s accolade (why else would we be worried about our voice unless we were trying to impress those around us?), and give ourselves completely to Him
Lately (meaning over the last 8 months or so), God has been convicting me about how/why I sing. And everytime I think I’m getting better, God reveals another layer that needs to come off. I started learning about not singing for man’s praise, but I’m just learning that that also means not worrying about it when I am also sick.
Every time He asks for a little bit more of me. Hebrews 12:28 says, For our God is a consuming fire.
If we really want to live a life pleasing Him and following His will, He must consume us. We must open-handedly give Him our heart for Him to mold and to burn away our dross. We cannot hold anything back from Him.
And it’s painful. O, so painful sometimes.
It seems like it would be so much easier if God never bothered us, never asked us to step out of the boat and walk on the water. But, if He never consumed us, we would never know the rich blessings that come from serving Him completely and the peace that He gives when we do trust Him. We would instead be living in a lukewarm life, missing everything that God could have used us for.
Hebrews 12:11 says, Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Singing is just one way that God has been teaching me to let go of trying to please man and to simply be looking for God’s “well done, good and faithful servant”, because nothing else matters.
When we stand before Him, our family and friends won’t be there. We will be by ourselves when we behold His awe-inspiring majesty and glory. And at that moment we will realize, Why did I not do what He had called me to do? Why did I not let myself fall completely into His hands and live completely for Him?
We only have one life to give to Him.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
Romans 12:1
What I often do when I am worshiping the Lord is I picture myself standing before the throne of God. With a scene like that before my eyes I do not easily get distracted. It is kinda hard to focus on your voice when you see yourself before the Lord because you get the feeling inside that nothing else matters but Him. :)
ReplyDelete"I don't want to talk about You like You're not in the room: I want to look right at You; I want to sing right to You." -from the song Dove's Eyes
~Marybethany
Yes, that is what we should be picturing when we are worshiping Him. :)
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