Praise Him in Song

The Bible encourages us to come before the Lord with thankful and joyful hearts, offering the sacrifice of praise and reinforcing His Word and His work through worship. Psalm 105 reminds us:
1 Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples!
2 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works!
3 Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!

One of the ways that we can "make known His deeds" is through corporate worship.  As we sing unto the Lord, we are testifying to who He is and what He has done. We can give Him thanks for His work in our lives - bringing us salvation and showing His goodness and faithfulness. Worship through music is a tremendous vehicle through which we reinforce a sense of His presence and honor His greatness. He gives us the capacity to rejoice, and plenty to rejoice about!

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A passage in Colossians chapter 3 addresses the posture and practice of worship through song. We can read:
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
16 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.
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

I have been sharing recently about the impact of music that lifts up the name of Jesus, something that we believe in and present regularly, daily, at Faith Radio, offering over 100 hours a week of uplifting Christian music.

This past weekend, a program devoted to religious music on the BBC television network reached a milestone: its 60th anniversary and its 3000th episode, according to The Christian Post.  And, it has been inspiring to, among others, none other than the Queen herself.  The article states:

“For 60 years, Songs of Praise has drawn together congregations and BBC viewers throughout the United Kingdom in collective worship,” the queen said in a message for a special episode of the show Sunday, The Telegraph reported.

“During that time, the program has shown Christianity as a living faith not only through hymns and worship songs, but also by featuring the many people who have put their faith at the center of their lives,” the 95-year-old queen continued.

Aled Jones, who has been one of the "presenters" of "Songs of Praise" for in excess of 20 years, was quoted as saying, "It is an honor to be able to share uplifting stories of faith with our dear audience and to gladden hearts with music that means the world to me. Here’s to a future filled with wonderful 'Songs of Praise!'”

And, this past Easter marked the 20th anniversary of what was described by the UK's Express as a "favourite" of "Songs of Praise," the modern-day hymn co-written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend, In Christ Alone.  The article says: "The contemporary classic, which featured in the Archbishop of Canterbury’s inauguration, is estimated to be sung by 100 million people every year."

The article went on to say that Keith and Kristyn Getty...

...believe that singing strengthens families and communities and see a key role for choirs in the 21st century.

Keith argues that if a country stops singing it “loses part of its heart and its soul”.

He said: “We’re all made to sing. It is good for us. It expresses joy, it releases emotion, and it builds community.”

Keith received the Order of the British Empire recognition by the Queen in 2017.  The article states that:

As a young musician, Keith had concerns about the quality of modern songs sung in churches and set out to create great hymns.

He said: “I wanted to help create a canon of hymns for the world that actually articulate the Christian faith in a way that is deep... that is intellectual, that is Biblical – but also that is poetic, that is connected to every part of life and that is fully human.”

His optimism for the Church was expressed in the article, as well; it related:

Many churches in Britain have dwindling congregations but Keith insists a very different story is unfolding in much of the world.

“There have never been as many Christians in the world as there are today and by 2032 most of the Bible will be available in every language," he said. "We live at a point of unprecedented Christian growth in the history of the world.”

Keith says they are working for a future in which people sing in “healthy homes and healthy churches” and experience a “much more profound and deep and joyful expression of art”.

We can recognize that singing to God can bring us closer to Him...and to each other; He delights in not only our one-on-one time, but also our corporate worship.

There are numerous songs of faith that have an enduring quality, as evidenced by the 60 years of one particular religious TV program in the UK.  We can certainly consider the nature of so many great hymns that continue to be sung all around the world.  God's Word is timeless, and those songs that are centered on Scripture have served us well for hundreds of years.

We need the music of the Church in our culture today - and we can strive to place that song in our souls, and in our mouths, as the message of the Scriptures is reinforced in our minds.