Singing to the Lord: A Transformative Practice

Psalms 96:1–3 (NIV)

1 Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. 2 Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

Why Singing to the Lord?

We are very often commanded to sing to the Lord. We might understand that we are to proclaim His praises and glory. We might understand that we should share our testimony or preach the Gospel. But why does God keep telling us to sing?

How God Designed Us

We forget very often that the human design consists of mind, body, heart, soul, and spirit. The mind is our will and what we choose to do. The heart is our passion and emotion. The soul carries the breath of life that makes us a living being. Our spirit is that part that connects with the spiritual, be it the Holy Spirit, demons, or the spirits of other people. Our body is the physical container of all of these.

But the body holds all these together. Our body directly affects every bit of our essence.

What we do with our bodies matters.

What Happens When We Sing

When we use our physical body to perform an action, it directly affects everything else and is also affected by each part of ourselves. When we use our bodies to sing, we are changed.

Singing is more than mouthing the words quietly to a song. To truly sing, we must lift our voice in tone and lower it. We press more breath to reach fortissimo or less for pianissimo. We must emote in line with how the song was written.

And this moves our spirit. The words move our hearts. As these are affected, our mind turns toward what we are singing, changing our thoughts and, in turn, the emotions of the heart. Singing helps us get where we need to be when we are not.

Our mood, spirit, demeanor, posture, thoughts, and everything about us are truly changed when we belt out the melody.

Singing Beyond Ourselves

Singing moves our spirit beyond our bodies so that our song connects with those listening. Singing changes rooms, concert halls, and stadiums.

When we sing, our spirit travels beyond ourselves, seeking to engage with others. And when our eyes see something new in theirs, we are moved yet again.

A Life-Changing Command

God’s command to sing is not superficial, but life-changing. When we sing to Him and about Him, we are changed, and so are those who listen and join with us.

Our mourning turns to dancing, and the ashes of life are transformed by the beauty of God’s love. So, let’s sing a new song to the Lord, and we all will be changed.

Prayer

Lord, let me not sing when I feel like it, but teach me to sing as a discipline that forms Your beauty in me. Amen.