by Michael Shaughnessy
Sing praises to
God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our
King, sing praises!
For God is the King
of all the earth;
Sing praises with a
psalm!
- Psalm 47:6
The Spirit forming and
shaping our worship and singing
“That is really an inspired song!” I
have often thought that about a new song when
I experience something in my own spirit that
is lifted up and drawn into the presence of
the Lord. Music has the power to inspire, that
is, to inspirate, that is, to fill us with the
Spirit. It is the way God designed us; and the
way he designed music.
You may have heard a Christian song writer
say, “The Lord gave me the lyrics,” or “The
melody just seemed to be given to me while I
was praying.” The Lord does inspire, or
breathe into us, the ability to worship him in
spirit and in truth. When we are open to the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Lord will
inspire our worship and singing. It is a work
of the Spirit giving expression to what he is
doing or wants to do among God's people. It is
the Spirit forming and shaping the worship
life of the Christian people.
The psalms form those
who sing them
Yet when it comes to lyrics for songs, none
are as inspired as the psalms. Here we have
not only inspirational lyrics, we have lyrics
with the authority of the Scripture, because
that is what they are. The Christian church
has judged them objectively inspired by God.
Because of this it is appropriate that many of
the songs which Christians sing are based on
the psalms.
The people of God have used the psalms as the
basis of songs not just because the psalms are
inspired and give honor to God in the way he
intended to be honored, but also because they
form and shape those who sing them. (Most of
us know how “pop” songs have the ability to
stick in our minds long after we last heard
them. Inevitably, they affect the way we think
and feel.) With songs based on the psalms it
is the Word of God that is forming us. His
Word is truth and life. We are centered on God
and his truth, not on our self. St.
Athanasius, a 4th century bishop, commented
that the psalms not only stir up the emotions,
but moderate them. This is at least in part
because they were written by people who were
trying to understand God and his ways rather
than trying to understand themselves. Many
songs that Christians sing are simply the
Scripture put to music. However, not all are
Scripture. Many songs express the fundamental
truths of the faith like the hymns of old. We
sing of the amazing grace of God to save us.
We are inspired at the name of Jesus. We
remind ourselves that we are born into a
spiritual battle and need to fight the good
fight of faith until we join the angels and
saints in Jerusalem.
Giving the Lord the
honor due to him
Many Christian songs simply praise, exalt,
hallow, and adore the Lord. This is because
most of the time that Christians spend in
worship together is not mainly asking God to
meet our needs. We are centered first and
foremost on giving God his due, knowing that
our God will supply our every need, and we
shall not want. Most good Christian songs also
are not expressing how we feel about the Lord
(although that is important). Rather they
express the objective reality of the
worthiness of God to receive praise and honor.
Whether these songs are the Scripture put to
music, hymns of old, or the latest in the
Christian worship scene, the goal is the same:
to give the Lord the honor due to his name.
There are other songs which Christians sing
as well. Songs which are appropriate when the
Lord leads his people into a time of
repentance and we ask him, change my
heart, oh Lord. There are times when we
do ask the Lord to meet our needs or to touch
us in our emotions. However, our primary
objective in worship is usually meant to be
honoring the Lord as the source of truth and
life and not being concerned about ourselves.
Worthy O
worthy is the Lord
Worthy to be thanked
and praised
And worshipped and
adored.
