I sometimes find myself humming a tune during the day and often pray with my kids that when they wake up in the morning, it will be with a song of praise on their lips.
I think God made us with music included… not an optional extra.
I love this instruction by Paul in the letter to the Colossians:
(The main theme of the letter is “Christ is all”)
”Let the word of Christ live in you richly, flooding you with all wisdom. Apply the Scriptures as you teach and instruct one another with the Psalms, and with festive praises, and with prophetic songs given to you spontaneously by the Spirit, so sing to God with all your hearts!
(Colossians 3:16 TPT)
My friend Christopher referenced this verse a week ago (unfortunately not while singing… such a missed opportunity! 😉) and it spoke to me on such a core level.
I thoroughly believe that the best way to solidify something in yourself is to teach it to someone else, and this is what Paul says:
Let the word of God live in you and inspire your thoughts and guide your decisions. Apply the scriptures as you teach and instruct one another…
Did you catch that? Teaching each other! I teach you and you teach me. Together we grow in God!
The second thing is something from secular anthropology. There is a line of thought that the accuracy of ancient history and the transfer of morals & values of ancient people groups were mainly due to songs. In a song, the words and the music combined make sense, so changing a fact or a sentence “broke” the song… this led to old and complex histories still available today, even though the origin was long before the written word.
This meant that generation after generation carried truths with them enshrined in the songs they sang.
So when Paul says to instruct each other with Psalms and Festive Praises, It has a two-fold effect: Firstly, we are actively and constantly praising God, and secondly, we are enshrining truths to hold onto in the music, making it easier to absorb as a lifestyle choice.
(I don’t know about you, but regularly, I will have a moment to reflect on something that is happening and a song will jump into my head. In a difficult season: MW Smith’s “Surrounded” (This is how I fight my battles!) or when something unexpectedly turns out magnificent, the chorus of Rich Mullins’ “Awesome God” )
And no… It doesn’t mean that we should be living in a musical 😊 – It is just a very handy tip on how to hold God’s truths close to your heart and mind.
I’d like to think that Jesus also used this trick. I don’t think it is ever recorded in the bible that Jesus sang, but the book of Psalms (our “bible within a bible” ) covers basically every emotion we can feel, so we shouldn’t be surprised that Jesus frequently quoted from Psalms, triggering well-known memories and truths for those listening at that time?
Let every activity of your lives and every word that comes from your lips be drenched with the beauty of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. And bring your constant praise to God the Father because of what Christ has done for you!“
(Colossians 3:17 TPT)
Be blessed and set your radio LOUD!
