The Power of Singing

In my fifty years as a Christian I have discovered nothing draws me into the presence of the Lord more than singing. One of the key ways Paul tells us to stay filled with the Spirit is to sing hymns and spiritual songs, and to make melody in our hearts. Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God” (Eph. 18-21).

Most of my morning times with the Lord are spent singing to Him, and when I wait for a moment after I sing to Him, often I will hear a song in the my spirit from the Lord. My mother was a soloist who sang all over Atlanta in many churches. One of my happiest memories of my childhood was hearing her singing in the kitchen. She sang hymns while she cooked. Throughout her whole life she always seemed to be full of the joy of the Lord, and His love always radiated from her to others. I think she had learned the secret to staying filled with the Spirit.

As you read this you may say to yourself, “But I can’t sing,” or “I work all day, so how could I sing all day?” Paul gives the answer to this when he tells the Ephesians to speak to themselves in hymns, psalms and spiritual songs and make melody in their hearts. If you lack the ability to make melody when others cannot hear you, rest assured the Lord will hear you as you make melody in your heart to Him. He loves the sound of your heart as well as the sound of your voice. It is a melody of love.

Let his melody of love ring out in your heart today.

Psalm 59:1-17 David says, “I will sing of Your power; yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning” (v. 16). David speaks of singing about God’s power and mercy because he knew the power of singing. David was a psalmist, and it was his custom to sing continually.