As a worship leader, there are days where I kind of step away from the whole worship music thing and when I look at it, it all seems really weird. I start asking questions like "why do we do this?" "Why is music an important part of worship?" "What is the relevance of singing in worship?" In asking these questions, I have developed a sensitivity to any passage of scripture that deals with worship, and as I was reading Psalm 32, a certain passage grabbed my attention.
In Psalm 32:11 the psalmist writes "Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart". It's that last phrase that got me. There seems to be a qualifier. This theme is echoed in the first verse of the next psalm where it states "sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise Him". There seems to be a connection here between being upright in heart and singing. I know that when I feel like I can stand before God and others with a clear conscience, I feel very carefree. It doesn't necessarily mean that I haven't sinned as much as it means that I have no secrets before God or others about my sin. It means that there's nothing in my heart that is constantly burdened with the thought of being "found out" or "exposed". It's hard to sing when you're constantly looking over your shoulder (plus it's really hard to see the power point screen). I remember what it's like to confess my sins to God or to others that I had sinned against and I also remember the incredible feeling that comes after that confession and I must admit...you kinda feel like singing in that moment.
So maybe thats part of the whole singing thing in worship. It's more of a symptom of where we are before God than it is an end in itself. Singing might just be one of God's ways of allowing us to remain childlike and the times where we find it difficult to sing may be there to serve as a wake up call to examine our hearts and see what's inside.... And once you come clean before God and anyone else that you have wronged, you might find yourself singing. And Psalm 32:11 may read more like "if you have no secrets.....you'll sing."
In Psalm 32:11 the psalmist writes "Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart". It's that last phrase that got me. There seems to be a qualifier. This theme is echoed in the first verse of the next psalm where it states "sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise Him". There seems to be a connection here between being upright in heart and singing. I know that when I feel like I can stand before God and others with a clear conscience, I feel very carefree. It doesn't necessarily mean that I haven't sinned as much as it means that I have no secrets before God or others about my sin. It means that there's nothing in my heart that is constantly burdened with the thought of being "found out" or "exposed". It's hard to sing when you're constantly looking over your shoulder (plus it's really hard to see the power point screen). I remember what it's like to confess my sins to God or to others that I had sinned against and I also remember the incredible feeling that comes after that confession and I must admit...you kinda feel like singing in that moment.
So maybe thats part of the whole singing thing in worship. It's more of a symptom of where we are before God than it is an end in itself. Singing might just be one of God's ways of allowing us to remain childlike and the times where we find it difficult to sing may be there to serve as a wake up call to examine our hearts and see what's inside.... And once you come clean before God and anyone else that you have wronged, you might find yourself singing. And Psalm 32:11 may read more like "if you have no secrets.....you'll sing."
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