The Bible is full of exhortations to praise the Lord with song. Psalm 95:1-3 says, “ Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” Psalm 100:2 says, “Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.” God created music for His glory and His purposes.
When we gather together in His Name and lift up praise and worship to Him through music created for His glory, He is in our midst. Matthew 18: 20 tells us when two or three come together in His Name, He is in our midst. And Psalm 22:3 says that He inhabits the praise of His people. When we praise the Lord, He is in our midst.
He prepares our heart through praise and worship to hear what He has to say through His Word. You see praise is like a plow plowing the ground. Just as a plow breaks up the hard soil and prepares it for the seeds, so praise plows up the hard soil in our hearts and prepares us to hear and receive God’s Word. Ephesians 5 says to “speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.”
The next time you have the opportunity to sing for the Lord remember that you’re using the wonderful gift of music that God has given to lift praise and worship to His Name, to enjoy His presence in the midst of that worship, to be a part of preparing hearts to hear God’s Word and to encourage those around you in their walk with the Lord. That’s quite an opportunity and not one to be taken lightly.
When you think of the importance that music plays in a worship service you begin to realize the responsibility that we as musicians have to keep our hearts and minds focused on the Lord Jesus. We are vessels for God’s service. Psalm 108:1 says, “My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul.” Oh to always have a steadfast heart and that the music that comes from deep within me would be pure worship and praise to my Savior!
There’s a beautiful prayer that has been put to music called Sanctuary recorded by several different artists. The chorus begins with “Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true.” It’s a prayer that should always be on our lips. Remember that from a steadfast heart will come music from your soul to the Savior. Take a moment and listen to Sanctuary and also to I’m Singing by Kari Jobe, another powerful song that lifts praise to the Lord Jesus. Ask the Lord to search your heart and prepare you for His service. Then the next time you have the opportunity to sing, use the wonderful gift of music to extol Him with music and song.
Other Posts in this Series
God Created Music
God Sings
God Inhabits Our Praise
Music is the Language of the Soul
He is Our Song
Sing His Word
The Reason We Sing
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