So, you are involved in special music. Let me ask you a question. Is your music all for show? Now wait. Before you get upset, I must tell you that I have been accused of the very same thing, and the truth is, I am afraid there are times that I have been guilty as charged. A true servant of the Lord would never want to have it said that he was just putting on a show; however, in a certain sense, our music is to be a show.
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy” (I Peter 2:9-10).
Our music should show others that we love the Lord. It should show people that we have spent time with Him. It should reveal that we have a walk with God. Our music needs to “shew forth” His praises. How could our music do that?
1. It should be sung in a spirit that is appropriate to the text.
So often I hear happy words and see a somber face. If we are not careful, our sour countenance negates the meaning of the song. Ask yourself this question, “How do these words make me feel?”
2. The text should honor the Lord.
So many of the contemporary songs have very little to say. Sometimes they focus on us and our problems. Introspective music does very little to bring praise to God.
3. The music should support the message of the words.
Think about how the musical line needs to follow the emotional content of the text. The song itself needs to be filled with emotion. This is what makes the music powerful and has an impact on our listeners. We must be careful to bring attention to the message of the song and not to ourselves. Otherwise we are guilty of making a show of ourselves. This hardly honors the Lord.
4. The testimony of the musician should bring glory to God.
It is a heavy responsibility to minister in song. Some musicians have the idea that those three-and-a-half minutes are their claim to fame and that is what it is all about. However, once we are on the platform leading others to focus on the Lord, everyone begins to take a closer look at our lives. We need to be careful that what we are singing in the church house is supported by the lives that we live at our house.
I hope these few simple thoughts will help all of us do a better job of singing for the Lord and for our people. May all of us be guilty of “making a show” that will “shew forth” His praises.
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