Singing to the Lord

Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart! – Ephesians 5:18b-19

Blind Spanish Singer – Robert Henri, 1912.
Smithsonian American Art Museum. Public domain.

“Music gets ‘in’ us in ways that other forms of discourse rarely do. A song gets absorbed into our imagination in a way that mere texts rarely do.” James K. A. Smith writes these words that we immediately recognize as true in his book Desiring the Kingdom. It’s no wonder then that Paul encourages the Ephesians to sing together with their spirit-filled hearts to the Lord. Doing so not only honors the Lord, but it also blesses all of us assembled and worshiping together. Singing hymns teaches us spiritual truths in a way that “gets in us.” Just think of one of the simplest, yet stickiest, and most beautiful spiritual songs ever written– Jesus Loves Me. How could we ever forget the words to that song? Because of God’s grace, and Christians who taught and sang this song with us, we will also never forget the profound truth that Jesus really does love us – for the Bible tells us so.

John Chrysostom commenting on this same passage of Ephesians 5 wrote, “Do you wish to be happy? Do you want to know how to spend the day truly blessed? I offer you a drink that is spiritual. This is not a drink for drunkenness that would cut off even meaningful speech. This does not cause us to babble. It does not disturb our vision. Here it is: Learn to sing psalms! Then you will see pleasure indeed. Those who have learned to sing with the psalms are easily filled with the Holy Spirit.”

So don’t be embarrassed or afraid your voice isn’t good enough to sing. Even if you are a bad singer, join your voice with your brothers and sisters in Christ. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly (Col 3:16)!” Be filled with the Holy Spirit, and as the Psalmist implores “make a joyful noise unto the Lord (Ps 98)!”

John Laffoon
Deacon and
Minister to Youth and Families