CHURCH LEADERS is featuring an article by Dan Wilt about the power, encouragement and strength for spiritual battle found in worshiping God in music!
When a giant needed to be dealt with, God sent a musician. For example, David, the young shepherd and future king who faced down Goliath, was a musician. While tending his father’s flocks in his lonely life as a shepherd, he not only learned how sling stones at lions and bears, he learned how to face down the foes in his own heart through the singing of songs (psalms).
The CHURCH LEADERS article may be read HERE.
Dan Wilt’s original article may be read HERE.
My brothers and sisters, as one who has been a musician for nearly my whole life, I’ve come to realize the incredible power found in music. It comes in thousands of styles and approaches. It deeply touches our soul (our mind, will and emotions) and is a gift from God! Music is spiritual at its core!
As with anything else that is spiritually powerful, it can (and should) be used to glorify God, not to glorify sinful, fleshly desires. Like any other beautiful thing of the Lord, Satan desires to counterfeit and use it to divide.
So, does God desire for us to make music and worship Him in music? A fair question. Let’s consider the following:
Music was played all night with singing, harps, stringed instruments, tambourines, cymbals and trumpets when David carried the ark of God to the Temple (1 Chronicles 13:7-8).
Music ushered in the very presence of God (as a cloud) such that the priests could not continue ministering and the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord (2 Chronicles 5:13-14).
The Psalms command us to skillfully praise the LORD with singing and musical instruments, including a personal favorite of mine – loud cymbals! We are to let everything that has breath praise the Lord (Psalm 33:3 and 150:3-6).
The Bible says we are be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing and admonishing others in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, making music to the Lord with grace in our hearts (Ephesians 5:18-19 and Colossians 3:16).
And, if that wasn’t enough, scripture says that God Himself quiets us with His love, and rejoices over us with gladness and singing (Zephaniah 3:17)!
Here are some supporting scriptures:
1 Chronicles 13:7-8 (NKJV) – “So they carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. Then David and all Israel played music before God with all their might, with singing, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on cymbals, and with trumpets.”
2 Chronicles 5:13-14 (NKJV) – “…indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying: ‘[f]or He is good, [f]or His mercy endures forever,’ that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.”
Zephaniah 3:17 (NKJV) – “The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Psalm 150:3-6 (NKJV) – “Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; [p]raise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; [p]raise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; [p]raise Him with clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”
Psalm 33:3 (NKJV) – “Sing to Him a new song; [p]lay skillfully with a shout of joy.”
Ephesians 5:18-19 (NLT) – “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.”
Colossians 3:16 (NKJV) – “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
Praise Jesus forevermore!