by Kaylyn Garwood
O come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! Psalm 95:1-2
Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! Psalm 98:1
Let the word of Christ rule in your hearts, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16
Throughout Scripture, God has repeatedly given us a command to sing. Why? What if I just don’t like music? What if I’m totally tone deaf? What if I dislike the “new” or “old” songs my church sings?
The blatant truth is this: it doesn’t matter if we like to sing or are naturally good at it. God, the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all, has commanded us to sing.
When I was in high school, our youth group went to a local nursing home once a month to lead a Sunday service. We passed out songbooks, but most residents didn’t need one; those hymns and all of the verses were stored in their memories. Many of the residents had difficulties carrying on a conversation, whether from a physical or mental malady, but when we started to sing, nothing could stop them from bursting into song. They sang at the top of their lungs, often with tears streaming down their faces as the truths in those hymns resonated in their souls.
Singing connects with our brains in a deeper way than simply speaking. My third-grade teacher used the tune of a popular song to teach pronouns. My parents played geography songs as we traveled to teach the states and their capitals. The Sound of Music taught me solfège because of the song “Do a Deer.” And the thing is, I remember EACH of these tunes and every word that goes with it now—over two decades later!
I’ve completed a bachelor’s degree, I actively homeschool my children, and I regularly read for personal growth and enjoyment, but a good portion of the information I absorb stays for a short amount of time, and then it’s suddenly gone. It only enters my short-term memory, and it never crosses into my long-term memory. But those songs that I learned when I was eight years old? They’re stuck. There’s no way to remove them from my memory. (Even if I sometimes wish that I wouldn’t burst into song simply by the mention of a state or capital!)
Can you imagine how rich our theology would be if we stored Scripture passages and foundational Biblical truths instead of storing states and capitals, pronouns, and solfège in our long-term memory? THIS is one of the reasons we have been commanded to sing. God has intricately designed us— including our brains, our voices, and the connections between them. When we sing truth, we store truth in our long-term memory. This allows quick recall of foundational doctrine and Scripture, which we are then able to use to fight temptation.
Psalm 119:11 says, “I have treasured your word in my heart, SO THAT I might not sin against you” (emphasis mine). Ephesians 6:10-18 teaches the Armor of God, and while most of the armor is defensive, the one piece that is offensive is the Sword of the Spirit: the Word of God. 1 Corinthians 10:13 reminds us that “No temptation has overtaken [us] that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let [us] be tempted beyond [our] ability, but with temptation, he will also provide the way of escape, that [we] may be able to endure it.” When we have Scripture hidden in our hearts, we have the proper weapon to fight against sin.
So, on days you don’t feel like singing, sing anyway. Sing truth. Fill your mind with Scripture and Biblically sound doctrine. And in the moments you find yourself fighting temptation, you’ll have the only weapon that will succeed: The Word of God.
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