This is part 3 in a 3-part series on worship through song in the church. You can read part 1 here and part 2 here. Part 1 gave some biblical basis for singing in church, and part 2 dealt with one of the main objections regarding singing in church. This last part will deal with another reason people often give for not participating in worship:

The church of Jesus Christ is called to be a singing people. The Bible is a book filled with songs of worship, praise, contemplation, and even lament. As I said yesterday, I doubt any typical churchgoer would argue this fact. Yet some folks are simply too uncomfortable or unwilling to sing along. My goal is not to force people to sing against their will, but I would like to address an issue that often stands in the way of Christians singing worship songs in church...

A common objection I hear from folks these days is that they are going through a tough season in their life, and they really aren’t in the mood to sing along during our time of worship. First, let me just say that I get that. In times of severe grief or depression, we may not even feel we have the physical strength to sing during our gatherings. And while I would never take a hard line stance on trying to force people to sing when they really don’t want to, let me just say a few words in response to this objection.
 
In Scripture, we see the saints of God singing praises to Him in some very difficult seasons. The Psalms are filled with songs written in very difficult circumstances. Oftentimes you can almost feel the tension within the heart of the Psalmist as he is hurting or scared, but then he lifts eyes to heaven and remembers the God who rescues, saves and redeems. Consider this passage from Psalm 42:9-11:
 
I will say to God, my rock,
“Why have You forgotten me?
Why must I go about in sorrow
because of the enemy’s oppression?”
My adversaries taunt me,
as if crushing my bones,
while all day long they say to me,
“Where is your God?”
Why am I so depressed?
Why this turmoil within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him,
my Savior and my God.
 
In this passage, the Psalmist is very open about the fact the He is hurting and doubting the presence of God in His life. Yet look at His resolution at the end of the Psalm, “Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him.” I believe that some of the most powerful times of worship in our lives flow out of our deepest suffering, when we are reaching out for the comfort that comes from God alone. Jesus sang a hymn with his disciples just after telling them about His looming death and right before He sweat drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane. Paul and Silas sang hymns together after being beaten and while they were languishing in a Philippian jail.
 
We do not worship a God who is detached from our suffering or simply doesn’t care about the hardships in our lives. In fact, Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be “a man of suffering” and “acquainted with deepest grief.” (Isaiah 53). The author of Hebrews tells us:
 
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.
Hebrews 4:15-16
 
Worship allows us the great privilege of getting our eyes off of our circumstances, and onto the God who sees and knows and longs to comfort His people. I truly believe that through worship, God can bring healing, peace, clarity, vision and so much more into our lives. So when we gather on Sunday or Wednesday, let us sing together. Let us glorify in unison the God who has called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light. Let us praise the name of the only one who deserves all the glory and honor and power. Let His kingdom come and let His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Remembering that heaven is the place where praises continually pour forth upon the Lamb that was slain.

Yesterday, I began this 3-part series by giving some biblical basis for why we sing in church. If you missed it, you can click here to read it. Today and tomorrow I want to respond to a few common objections I’ve encountered on this topic.
 
While I doubt many Christians would argue that singing in church should not to be an important part of our gatherings, the fact remains that some regular churchgoers choose not to sing along with the congregation.

One of the biggest obstacles that stands in the way for many believers is they think that they are not good singers, and, therefore, they are doing the church a favor by not singing. This attitude seems to be more prevalent among men than it is among women. And guys, I hate to say it, but the women in the church are always more apt to sing and praise God than the men. Let me just tell you as a worship leader that the quality of your voice should never stand in the way of you feeling free to sing with us. I’m often extremely blessed by the one person who can’t seem to get the melody right or clap their hands in time. When I see and hear them my heart melts because despite their lack of musical fortitude, they still want to praise Jesus and join in with the saints in worship. Never forget the simple exhortation in the Psalms to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord.” God breathed life into you and granted you the gift of salvation. As a Christian, he has adopted you into the beloved and called you His own. Now he calls you to join in with the heavenly realms giving praise and adoration to Jesus our Messiah.
 
I’m convinced that the most important instrument in the church is not the piano, the drums, the bass, the cello, and it’s not even the guitar. The most important instrument in the church is your voice. I mean that sincerely. Well, to be clear, it’s all of our voices joining together as one to praise God. But we need your voice to be included in that one instrument. My goal as a worship leader has never been to assemble a band that will rock hard and blow people away with how talented we are. There are several mega-churches within 10 miles of CCLW where you can go and hear world class musicians lead worship with an amazing multimedia show going on around them. I’ll personally never match the talents of Chris Tomlin or Matt Redman or Phil Wickham. And honestly, I’m fine with that. My goal is to lead the people of God in singing praises to our King. If the church is singing and praising Jesus, then my mission has been accomplished. One of my greatest fears is that the band would take center stage and that folks would show up at church and just listen to us play. I would count that as a huge failure on my part. The purpose of having a band on the stage is simply to lead folks in singing praises to God.
 
If you can’t seem to follow the timing of the song or think you can’t sing high enough (or low enough), that’s okay…just keep singing. The church is called to be a people of love, grace and forgiveness after all. Sometimes learning a new song will take a few attempts. The important thing is that we keep pressing forward in our desire to worship Jesus. It’s okay to sing low or high. It’s okay if your pitch isn’t perfect. It’s okay if you think you look silly with your hands raised. Do it anyway. I truly believe that it blesses the heart of our God when the church unites as one in singing praise to our King.

Stay tuned for part 3 coming tomorrow...

I’ve been in worship ministry for more than 12 years now. It’s such a blessing and a privilege to serve the Lord in this way. I’ll never forget the season of my life when I felt the Lord calling me to become a worship leader. I had spent several years pursuing a career in music with limited success. But I was suddenly enraptured with the idea of serving God completely with my gifts. I mean…what better way to utilize my musical abilities than by glorifying the name of Jesus in the midst of His people? I count myself as blessed beyond measure, and I continue to be amazed at the grace of God in using the likes of me. While I still have much to learn about what it is to worship God in Spirit and in truth, I wanted to share a few things that have been on my heart recently.
 
While styles and methods have changed and evolved in several ways over the last 2000 years, one immovable truth remains: the church of Jesus Christ has always been a singing people. Paul exhorted the churches in Ephesus and Colossae to sing songs when they gathered together. He tells the Colossians:
 
Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:16 HCSB
 
Music is an incredible gift. It helps us to express our gratitude and praise to God in many profound ways. There are so many good worship songs that the Lord has used over the years to minister to me and to speak truth into my life. I love songs that are based in Scripture but also help me connect with the presence of Jesus by the Holy Spirit. I think Paul understood this, and he exhorts the church to sing, not just to the Lord, but to one another as well. Even if you aren’t a big fan of music in general, the call of God to His people is that we would join together on a regular basis in singing praises to Him.

I think of the electricity in the air during a World Series game or during the Super Bowl. Folks in the crowd are anticipating that their team is going to win. They root and cheer and express their loyalty to the team in some pretty crazy ways. If their team is victorious, the post game celebration is overwhelming. Some people break down and cry. Others yell and shout for joy. Now, I'm not going to suggest we paint the letters J-E-S-U-S on our stomachs or that we start rooting and hollering uncontrollably during our church services. I've never been a huge fan of worship experiences that are designed to provoke an emotional response through manipulation. Nevertheless, our God is worthy to be praised. Someday, every Super Bowl victory will be a small footnote in the history of mankind. But Jesus will reign forever and ever.
 
I love to sing while I am home doing the dishes or when I am driving around in my car. My kids probably get tired of listening to dad sing in the car sometimes, but that’s the price they have to pay for treating me like their personal chauffeur. Some of the best times of worship in my life have taken place in solitude. But I believe there is something even more powerful that happens when the people of God gather together to sing praises to the Lord. We are exhorting and comforting one another, and also showing our unity in love for our Savior. What an incredible witness it is to the world around us when we pour out praise and the fruit of our lips to honor and glorify the name of Jesus. The unbelieving world does not know what to do with this when they see it happening.

Over the next few days, I will be posting a few more thoughts on singing in the church. Please stay tuned!