Every Sunday as I look over the congregation at church I see some folks who are fully engaged in the worship and others who are not participating at all. Why is that? I love to sing, I think I have always loved to sing, and while we all like to think we are “talented” I think that I will sing out no matter what you think of my skill. When we sing we are able to express feelings and emotions that we cannot do through our thoughts and words alone. When we are happy we are able to express this through song, when we are sad we are able to express this through song. In my opinion the greatest singers are those who may not be the most gifted vocally but those who are able to connect emotionally to the songs they sing and draw you into their emotions. There are numerous examples of singers in the past (I won’t name any here) who were not the best vocally but they were able to be very successful in the music industry due to the passion and emotion that they sang with.
Singing is not just for the people who are “talented”. Psalm 100 vs. 1 and 2 “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness, come before his presence with singing.” The verse does not say “If you are a talented singer praise the Lord with song”. I believe that we as a society are becoming more critical of many things and singing is one of them. It is easy to pass judgment and say things like “Did you hear that? They didn’t do too well on that solo! They don’t need to be leading songs. Just put them in the back where no one can hear them. They need to just move their lips and not actually sing.” All of these things remind me of Barney on Andy Griffith when he was singing a “solo” and in the background there was another singer who was actually singing. If you have ever heard the term “Barney Mic’d” that it where it comes from. Barney’s microphone was turned down or “Barney Mic’d” so that no one would actually hear him. Sorry to get side tracked there but it just shows how we can be critical of folks who have may have lots of passion and yet we frown on them if they are not the most gifted vocally.
I often hear people say “I can’t sing”. Why do they feel that way? Probably because someone has told them that over the years and they have grown-up with a fear of thinking they can’t sing. The ability to “sing” or “make a joyful noise” clearly means that we are human. Throughout the bible there are numerous examples of singing yet I cannot find one example where the voices are described, only the words of the songs are noted. The words are words of praise, gratitude, emotion and they are directed to our God. God is faithful and true and he wants us to praise him and one way that this can be accomplished is through song. Not just the songs that others are singing but the songs that you are singing, even if you think you can’t carry a tune in a bucket. I believe that God hears what comes from the heart and not what comes from the mouth. The next time you are thinking about holding back and not singing turn loose and sing from the heart and God will hear your “joyful noise” and it will be sweet music to his ears.
Geoff
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