(Disclosure: The following thoughts are in part due to my recent reading of “The Rebirth of Music” by LaMar Boschman, which originally came out in 1980. I would recommend it for all worship leaders if you haven’t read it. Even though it is 30 years old, the content is still completely relevant today.)
Have you ever found yourself wondering why music is important? Why do we do what we do on Sunday mornings? Have you ever felt like a warm-up act for the “real” ministry time?
I have. I have also wondered if maybe this is just a nice little hobby. Perhaps I’ll graduate up to something really meaningful one day. I mean, we are just grouping notes and rhythm. What’s the big deal?
First, we have to understand that God created music to be used in worshipping Him. It stands to reason then that God enjoys music. Why would he sanction it for His own worship if He didn’t really enjoy hearing it? Therefore, when we sing songs to God, He likes it! He finds joy in it. This reasoning alone gives music enough significance for me to continue. If I know of something that will make God happy, why would i not want to do thing as much as possible?
Second, consider the importance God gives music in His Word. I think we all would agree that Hell is an important topic, and a search through scripture would prove this true. Hell is mentioned over 70 times. However, if you do the same search for music, you will see that it is mentioned 989 times. We are commanded to sing over 200 times. The longest book in the Bible , Psalms, just happens to be the songbook.
In the Old Testament, we often see that before the prophets would deliver the word of the Lord, the musicians would play. Music prepared the way for God’s word to be spoken. In David’s time, professional musicians were on hand in the temple 24 hours a day. These musicians only job was continual worship, and they were supported through the tithes of the people. In the New Testament, we are told that each believer should sing when we come together for worship, with hymns, psalms, and spiritual songs.
In short, Music is important to us because it is important to God. Let us have renewed reverence for the importance of our task, humility that the Almighty God would allow us to be a part of His plan, and exceeding joy that we have the amazing privilege of serving the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords with music!
