But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress.
When we are gathered together as a congregation in worship, one of the primary things we do is sing. Our singing comprises a significant portion of the hour (or so) that we spend together on Sunday mornings and Sunday nights. Were we to poll ourselves and ask why it is that we sing, I am confident that we would answer in a variety of ways. Some of us sing because we feel compelled to do so—it is duty. Some of us sing because we are being led to do so, and hey, everyone else is doing it. Some of us sing because we enjoy singing and love to participate. Some of us sing because we know that it is what God wants. Furthermore, there are those who sing for a combination of the reasons above. Singing is important in an atmosphere of worship.
Music has a way of cutting through all the mess of life and drilling deeply down into our souls [note: it always amuses me when people respond to who we are by saying, “Oh, y’all are the ones without music.” My answer to that is always, “Actually, we have no instruments, but singing is certainly music.”] . This is especially true when we participate in the music. It is even truer when the music is directed to and devoted to God. When we sing of (and to) one who is perfect and great and majestic, and we sing of what He has done, is doing, and will do, it tends to move us from a self-focus to a more spiritually healthy concentration on what is really important. In other words, singing has a way of helping us to transcend earthly concerns, putting us in the proper frame of mind (heart).
Let us all sing our hearts out this morning, using our voices to express to our Awesome God how mighty and amazing he is. Have a great, great day. –Ricky