Christian Music News: Why We Sing (2024)

One of the things I love the most about my church is that we’re a singing church. We absolutely delight in singing to the Lord together. Quiet songs, loud songs, slow songs, fast songs, old songs, new songs, and everything in between.

In one of our Scripture readings from last Sunday, we were reminded of some of the reasons why we sing. From Colossians 3:16:

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…”

• We sing because it allows the good news of Jesus Christ to dwell richly in our souls. You may have noticed that we remember what we sing. It’s why commercial jingles are so catchy! Every time we sing, we’re preaching to ourselves.

“…teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom…”

• We’re also preaching to those people around us in the pews. In the words of the old hymn, we’re all “prone to wander…”. And we’re tossed and turned by the world during the week. When we sing, we’re encouraging our brothers and sisters with the truth.

“…singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…”

• We sing a variety of songs, spanning centuries, written by different people with different testimonies, from the Psalms that Jesus himself sang, to hymns that have resounded through the ages, to new songs inspired today. God is worthy of it all.

“…with thankfulness in your hearts to God”.

• God is so glorious, and his gospel is such good news, that whenever we sing, his Holy Spirit moves in our hearts to give us new reasons to praise. Sometimes this draws us to our knees, or to our feet, and sometimes this draws us to clap – or lift – our hands. These are outward signs of an inward thankfulness that God is stirring in our hearts as we sing.

So come to church ready to sing. Don’t be bashful about your voice, and don’t worry if you don’t think you’re much of a “singer”. God has given you a voice to use, and he’s given you a song to sing.