‘He [David] appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, to extol, thank, and praise the LORD, the God of Israel:’ (v4) 1 Chronicles 16:1–6
Worship has grown to be central in church life. Generally regarded as singing today, worship is in fact to declare God’s renown; the recognition of God’s achievements, and our admiration, respect and commitment to God. We worship God in many ways – from our prayer and Bible reading to the way we choose to live our life.
However, singing has always played its part. No matter the quality of our voice, we are all instructed to make a joyful sound for the Lord (Psa. 100:2). Song, increasingly rare within social gatherings, does feature on special occasions such as birthdays. We honour someone by name with a well-known anthem.
In the fourth century, Athanasius, one of the church fathers, encouraged singing, in particular the psalms, not because they express our love for God, but rather im-press God’s love upon our heart. In other words, we are actually drawing God’s love into our lives rather than simply declaring our love towards God.
Worship always reinforces what we know to be true of God within us. It is central to our spiritual formation. It’s one reason I often read Scripture aloud even when alone – I’m drinking from God’s well whilst also announcing God’s reality. In my morning prayers, whilst I cannot really carry a tune, I do chant the psalms aloud. Christianity is indeed poetry in motion.
RELATED SCRIPTURE TO CONSIDER: Psa.63:1–8; J`ob 1:20–22; Luke 1:46–55; 67–79.
AN ACTION TO TAKE: Consider singing some of your favourite, Scripture-based songs aloud every day. And why not consider chanting a psalm a day?
A PRAYER TO MAKE: ‘Lord, I sing praise to You for You are my fortress and my God on whom I can rely. Amen’ (Psa. 59:17).
Photo by Moises Alex and Zhang Kaiyv on Unsplash
