Another song we’re singing this week is “All Creatures Of Our God And King”. This has been a standard at @V21Church and thousands of others for many years. A valuable feature of the song is the simplicity of the refrain, allowing us to repeat “Hallelujah!” and “Oh praise Him!”. In a time when words and lyrics fly by at warp speed, repeating this phrase over and over is a welcome respite.
The call of this song is for “all creatures of our God and King; lift up your voice and with us sing Hallelujah!” We should be reminded that singing is not an option for God’s people; it’s one way we’re designed and commanded to respond. A prominent directive in scripture is to sing.
As a musician and music fan, this has never been a difficult concept for me. But I’m going to take a different approach and avoid the pluses and beauty of singing, instead focusing on the aspect of the command.
We often approach scripture or the teaching and views of a church with a sense of entitlement instead of an objective view. In actuality, we should approach scripture with an attitude of humility and trust. While many have been “burned by church”, myself included, that is not a free ticket to spend the next ten years with your arms crossed. Read the New Testament – there’s an undeniable call for followers of Christ to serve God by building His kingdom.
Therefore, while commandments are not well-received in a culture of individualism, the first reason we should sing is simply because God tells us to. Does your heart resist God’s commands? If so, there’s a good chance this is due to a wrong view of God. When has he called you to something beyond what you can bear with reliance on him? When has he acted with injustice towards you, or me, or anyone? If anyone had a reason to hold a grudge against God, it’s Paul. God led him to be beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned and more, all while doing God’s work. You’d think Paul would feel like God owed him for what he’s gone through, but instead he writes in Galatians 2:20b, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”
That we would resist the command to sing is also due to a wrong view of corporate worship, and a wrong execution in churches today. Before any fingers are pointed, I’ll admit that my mind and heart are often distracted by music, the band, the congregation, etc. instead of being focused on Jesus Christ. I often attempt to “muster up some worship” instead of having a soft, submissive heart that overflows with praise towards God, whether on the stage or off. And the result on Sundays is often a dichotomy; joyful songs, bored singers. God gave His Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 2:2); so would he then call us to trite singing? Would that please him; that we’d gather together to treat him like some sort of huge statue that we gather to bow down to, where only the outside action is of importance? If you believe this, read Matthew 15:1-9. It’s about the heart:
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” – Colossians 3:16 (emphasis mine)
When we resist God’s command, there is no thankfulness to what He’s done for us. Instead, we are saying “I know better than you, God.” By the way, how’s that working out for you?
We are bent and broken, and his commandments and actions are designed to sanctify us (make us holy) while bringing glory to His name. Even if you’re not a musician or music fan, trust God with this one. As you prepare for Sunday, ask God to soften your heart, to give you the desire and perspective to sing with all that you are, all he’s given you, in thankfulness. Ask yourself: what would Sunday be like if I approached in humility, with a soft heart, expecting God to guide me? Sadly, the alternative is much more prominent: we approach with arrogance, as if we’re doing God a favor, and we demand to be “fed”. Let us not become that church.
By the way, let me know if this week’s posts are helpful in preparing for Sunday, and if this is something you’d like to see more often. Suggestions are welcome as well. I love you all and can’t wait to worship in song with you this Sunday.
Matt Stevens is the Worship Pastor for Vintage21 Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. Contact him via Twitter: @MattStevensNC
This reminds me of Psalm 13 – no entitlement there!
1 How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;
4 my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the LORD,
for he has been good to me.
Matt,
this is helpful, definitely. Stephen and I read through the posts as we started Sabbath and it has proven to be a great way to further our readiness to worship on Sundays and everyday.
Thanks for putting the effort into this, and for writing such clear convicting truths. Also, It is wonderful to have links to the songs in the posts.
If you keep this blog going, I will put the word out more to let people know about it.
I loved these posts, especially the chance to check out the new songs ahead of time. Even though we have never sung them before they were old friends already on Sunday morning.