Sometimes people wonder why Christians sing at their church services. Some might think it’s because it’s tradition, or that’s just “what you do” at church, or because it’s fun to sing and it’s nice to have a venue to do so. Although these reasons are partially true, the real heart behind singing in church should be so much more than that—it should be worship. Worship is “the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration” toward something. Although the word “worship” may seem odd and possibly even cultish to some, I am pretty confident all people have at some point or another sung to or made a joyful noise in reverence or adoration of something.
Perhaps the most relatable example of worship I can give is that of cheering on your favorite sports team. When your team does something well or makes a winning play, don’t you often jump off your seat, make a joyful shout, and cheer in adoration of what they’ve done? Singing in church is meant to be something similar. Those who sing should be singing out of adoration and rejoicing in the goodness and greatness of God. Psalm 95 says, “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord, let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountain are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come let us worship, and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!”
Wow! When I think of these things, I can’t help but smile, sing, cheer, and rejoice in my God. Because I believe that He made the sea and the land, the beautiful scenery I enjoy, the amazing animals I marvel at, each individually incredible human I encounter, I can’t help but cheer at the depth of His creativity. When I remember that He made me, knows me completely, and loves me, I can’t help but rejoice. When I ponder the depths of His power over all rulers and authorities, I can’t help but humbly approach Him as the great King above all. And, when I remember how He paid the penalty for my sinful life by giving up His own righteous life in my place, I can’t help but sing out songs of thankfulness. For if these things are true, as I believe them to be, He is indeed worthy of our reverence, adoration, joyful noises, and song. He is indeed worthy of our worship!
For those of you who believe as I do, I hope this is a good reminder (as it was for me) of why we sing in church. I hope it adds depth, meaning, and joy to your songs the next time you sing them. And for those who don’t believe as I do, I hope this gives you greater understanding as to why those crazy Christians sing in church…sometimes even at the top of their lungs, with big smiles, and tears of joy running down their faces. We are just crazy happy for our God’s winning play!
By Katie Miller
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