If you know me, then you’ll know that I love music. Whether it be classical, baroque (yes, people still listen to it), modern worship songs, or light-hearted music such as the theme song from Disney’s Up (which I played for a piano recital back in 2015), I pretty much like all music genres. Music is a really neat thing. It stimulates your brain in a positive way, invokes emotions, expresses feelings, & it can even be used to improve concentration & learning.
On top of all that, God calls us to use it in worship when we praise Him. In fact, the entire book of Psalms is comprised of songs. The original Hebrew title for the book of Psalms literally means “Praise songs”, & the Greek name for this book is “Psalmoi”, from which we derive “Psalms”. Just as music today often contains deep emotions within the words, these Psalms contain messages that range from praise to penitence to desperate cries for deliverance in times of distress. There’s something about music that’s extremely moving, & it truly is a blessing from God. He encourages us to praise Him in song, & today, I’d like to share with you some ways to do that.
On top of all that, God calls us to use it in worship when we praise Him. In fact, the entire book of Psalms is comprised of songs. The original Hebrew title for the book of Psalms literally means “Praise songs”, & the Greek name for this book is “Psalmoi”, from which we derive “Psalms”. Just as music today often contains deep emotions within the words, these Psalms contain messages that range from praise to penitence to desperate cries for deliverance in times of distress. There’s something about music that’s extremely moving, & it truly is a blessing from God. He encourages us to praise Him in song, & today, I’d like to share with you some ways to do that.
1- Sing to God.
Oftentimes, we don’t use our voices when we pray. It’s easy to pray silently, & God does still hear you whether you speak or not, but there’s something special about using your voice to praise God. Praise is meant to be an outward expression, & not only something we think about. When we use our mouths to speak words of prayer & praise, it alerts our bodies to the fact that we are praising God, & physically hearing your own words of praise as you speak them reinforces the fact that you are praising God.
It helps you to keep yourself centered on God as you are praising Him, & it makes Him smile to hear you making a joyful noise. God gave us mouths for a reason; He wants us to use them! Even if you don’t have the perfect voice (don't worry, no one does), sing to God. It gives Him joy to hear your praises. Even when you’re having a hard day (or week, or month, or year), it makes all the difference when you make the choice to praise God. We do it to bless Him, but in the process, He blesses us. When we praise Him, it renews our spirits & centers us back God, which is where we belong to begin with.
It helps you to keep yourself centered on God as you are praising Him, & it makes Him smile to hear you making a joyful noise. God gave us mouths for a reason; He wants us to use them! Even if you don’t have the perfect voice (don't worry, no one does), sing to God. It gives Him joy to hear your praises. Even when you’re having a hard day (or week, or month, or year), it makes all the difference when you make the choice to praise God. We do it to bless Him, but in the process, He blesses us. When we praise Him, it renews our spirits & centers us back God, which is where we belong to begin with.
2- Write music.
If you do play any instruments, you’re already ahead of the game! If you’re a pianist or a guitarist, you can play around with blocked chord progressions & a simple melody. Even if you don’t play an instrument, that’s okay. The music is a powerful tool, but what matters most are the words within the song. You can develop the most amazing melody in the world, but if the words aren’t glorifying God, then the point has been missed completely.
You can sing without accompaniment (which is called a cappella), & I love doing it. If you’re a musician like myself, then you’ll know that sometimes it’s easy to get so wrapped up in playing the music correctly that you aren’t able to fully focus on God. Singing without accompaniment is just as much praising God as is doing so with accompaniment.
Throughout the Psalms, you read the phrase, “Sing to The Lord a new song!”, & God loves music that truly comes from our hearts, so go ahead & write out a prayer of praise. There is no real secret to writing, so ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in your writings & He will guide you. Write something, no matter how short or how long, & sing to The Lord!
You can sing without accompaniment (which is called a cappella), & I love doing it. If you’re a musician like myself, then you’ll know that sometimes it’s easy to get so wrapped up in playing the music correctly that you aren’t able to fully focus on God. Singing without accompaniment is just as much praising God as is doing so with accompaniment.
Throughout the Psalms, you read the phrase, “Sing to The Lord a new song!”, & God loves music that truly comes from our hearts, so go ahead & write out a prayer of praise. There is no real secret to writing, so ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in your writings & He will guide you. Write something, no matter how short or how long, & sing to The Lord!
3- Listen to music as you pray & read the Bible.
Of course, you don’t want the music to be too loud, or it can potentially distract you from your time of prayer & reading of the Scriptures, but playing worship music softly in the background can really benefit you during your time with God. I don’t generally listen to music when I’m spending time with God, as my mind usually is drawn to the music (that’s what happens when you’re a musician), but if you were to listen to music during your time with God, I would definitely suggest one of my playlists on Spotify.
I really like listening to piano (or guitar! I love either one) instrumental versions of songs, & this first one is comprised of mostly piano instrumental songs. No words on these; just piano/guitar. The second one is more guitar & does include vocals, but most of them are either live & have less instruments than the mixed soundtracks or have a more acoustic feel, which is a little quieter/more peaceful & more natural-sounding, which I really enjoy. Click here for the instrumental playlist, & here for the acoustic guitar playlist, or view a sample of each below.
I really like listening to piano (or guitar! I love either one) instrumental versions of songs, & this first one is comprised of mostly piano instrumental songs. No words on these; just piano/guitar. The second one is more guitar & does include vocals, but most of them are either live & have less instruments than the mixed soundtracks or have a more acoustic feel, which is a little quieter/more peaceful & more natural-sounding, which I really enjoy. Click here for the instrumental playlist, & here for the acoustic guitar playlist, or view a sample of each below.
4- Think about the lyrics.
For me, it’s easy to just start singing whatever I’m singing because it sounds peaceful or soothing or even just catchy, but there are a lot of songs out there that have some pretty deep, moving lyrics.
The next time you sing a worship song, think about the words as you sing them. Let the words have a deeper meaning, & speak them as if they were your own. Another thing you could do is even to take the lyrics & rewrite them in your own words. Make it personal & use it to praise God.
The next time you sing a worship song, think about the words as you sing them. Let the words have a deeper meaning, & speak them as if they were your own. Another thing you could do is even to take the lyrics & rewrite them in your own words. Make it personal & use it to praise God.
5- Let go of everything else & praise Him.
Don’t worry about how you look when you worship in church. If you’re going to a good church, everyone should be worshiping God themselves & not be concerned about how you look (or sound) anyway. Let go of everything around you, close your eyes, & breathe in His presence.
Soak in the peace & the joy & the strength that you receive when you praise God, & make it to be just you & God. Praise Him to praise Him, not to get applause from others (applicable to those of us who are on worship teams or in choirs). Do it to please God, & do it because you love Him.
Soak in the peace & the joy & the strength that you receive when you praise God, & make it to be just you & God. Praise Him to praise Him, not to get applause from others (applicable to those of us who are on worship teams or in choirs). Do it to please God, & do it because you love Him.
I hope you enjoyed this post! Be on the lookout for next week’s post, which is about living a life of praise.
What ways do you incorporate music into worship?
Do you use music when you worship?
What ways do you incorporate music into worship?
Do you use music when you worship?
Blessings, Allison