The Songs We Sing

Music is everywhere in the world today. Through various devices, music can be with us anywhere. It is hard to imagine a time when there was no recorded music, and hard to comprehend how powerful songs were for people who lived in earlier times.

We learn some insight by considering Jack Weatherford’s study of the Mongol armies in the 12th century AD. As this army traveled on its campaigns, soldiers had to depend on words that were spoken and sung. To insure accuracy, “the officers composed their orders in rhyme” and “the Mongol warriors used a set of fixed melodies. For a soldier, hearing the message was like learning a new verse to a song that he already knew.”

As we read the “Song of Deborah” in Judges 5, we can picture this song being repeated throughout Israel, sung over and over again, by many people in many places. Every time it was sung, it reminded the singers of God’s miraculous deliverance and all He had done for them.

Songs can have a similar role for us. Paul said we are to speak to each other “in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19). These expressions provide a language that reminds us of Biblical principles and truths. And they help us remember God’s work in our own lives and the lives of others throughout history.

Godly songs also can set the proper tone for our minds and hearts. They can lift our spirits and help prevent us from being saturated by the sin and corruption in the world.

Today, fill your life with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Allow God to use these songs to be the rhythm of your daily life. Let Him use music to teach you, remind you, and inspire you.