I Have a Secret … to Sing

Shh! I'm going to tell you a secret. Look around you right now and make sure no one is watching. Did you see someone? Yes? Stay calm. Keep your composure. Don't stare. Wait until they're gone. Okay, are you ready for the secret now? Double-check your surroundings. This message is for your eyes only. Are you good? Great, here goes: The observable behavior that most reveals your spiritual condition is... singing. That's right. The single most revealing action is singing. Thus, the question follows: When you are at church, do you sing?

Psalm 47:7: "For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise."

First, singing is yielding. When we sing, we are proclaiming, "There is a God, and that is not me." We sing in recognition that the LORD is indeed the Almighty. Singing requires vulnerability; there is something disrobing about exposing our melodic (albeit oftentimes out-of-tune) voice, especially in the company of others. This may explain why many people sing in private but not in public. Further, congregants may choose not to sing because, "I don't like this hymn," or "I don't know this song." Yet this response also lacks yielding. Such silent protest can communicate a selfish perspective: The hymn should fit me. Admittedly, new hymns and songs can feel uncomfortable at first, but yielding requires learning as well as participating.

1 Chronicles 16:9: "Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts."

Second, singing is acknowledging. When we sing, we are proclaiming, "The LORD God is indeed the only God." Church songs primarily voice one of two truths, either (1) God is worthy of praise or (2) God delivers His people. Whether we are crooning, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty," or booming, "Victory in Jesus, my Savior forever," we are acknowledging our dependence upon God. Our singing voice communicates: “I cannot do this. I need God's help.” Conversely, our silence may communicate the opposite: “I do not need God's help. I got this.” While silence does not audibly speak, it sometimes reveals the unspoken condition of a prideful heart.

Ephesians 5:18b-19: "Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit."

Third, and finally, singing is unifying. When we sing, we are proclaiming, "I am a contributing voice to this worshipping collective." Have you noticed how songs bring people together? Consider national anthems, school spirit songs, pub songs, party songs, birthday songs, and even a couple's special song. Whether in Christian worship or ordinary life, singing has a remarkable ability to unite people. In the context of the church, singing unifies the local congregation. There is something transcendent about a collective voice unabashedly praising their Creator. The experience carries an almost ethereal quality, as though hearts and voices are momentarily lifted beyond the ordinary. Additionally, our songs unite us with both the past and the future. When we sing the “Gloria Patri,” we sing alongside the saints who have been serenading those words for 1,600 years, and we sing alongside the saints who will serenade those words 1,600 years hence. Accordingly, in the context of church, a muted might tacitly disavows the worshippers of Jesus Christ – past, present, and future.

Well, now you know my secret. Who knew silence could reveal so much? My suggestion: Keep singing.