God’s Pleasure
“It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High,
proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night,
to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.
For you make me glad by your deeds, LORD; I sing for joy at what your hands have done.”
Today’s Text: Psalm 92 (Living Life Daily Devotional)
I cannot help but believe that music has been a part of worship since the dawn of humanity. I said that once in a sermon, and I saw someone frown and then start frantically thumbing through the Bible, as if to send me a very clear message: The Bible never says that.
Indeed, the Bible never says that. And yet, the Bible does indicate the special place that music and song have in worshipping God. God must love music. (Again, I can imagine that brother frantically thumbing through his Bible.)
I believe that God loves music because of how much humanity loves music. It is extremely rare to find anyone who just hates music. There are people who hate certain genres of music, but pretty much everyone has at least one song or tune that will touch their hearts.
And so even if God does not “love” music, He gave us music, because humanity loves music, and God loves humanity.
Anyway, music that is devoted to the praise and worship of God is special. It is consecrated, holy. It almost makes me sad how worship music has become popularized and commercialized lately. The “commonality” of it somehow makes the music lose a bit of its sacred quality.
At the same time, that is just my “feeling.” Who knows how God feels about it. He has certainly allowed the growing commercialization of praise music. And in a way, it does provide a great witness. Even so, I wish Christian concert tickets weren’t so expensive. I understand that the artists need to get paid, and the career of a popular Christian musician is pretty short-lived. But … I don’t know. Maybe the church homes of the popular worship musicians could supplement their incomes or something.
Anyhow, those issues surrounding the commercialization of praise and worship music is less of a concern. The greater concern has to do with the attitudes of Christians toward music during worship services. Christians in worship should always have fertile hearts, open to the Holy Spirit, and sing for joy at what His hands have done for us.
We should not be overly discriminating about the song itself or the performance itself. We should be discriminating about the lyrics. They should glorify God and be true to God’s word. We should be discriminating about the heart posture demonstrated by the performers. But we must never idolize the music or the musicians—either positively or negatively.
The first ministry I got involved in after I got saved was praise and worship. I told them I played guitar, and they asked me if I would play bass. YES! I had never really played bass before, but I learned. Because, similar to what Eric Liddell said in “Chariots of Fire,” when I play and sing, I feel the pleasure of God—even if I don’t play and sing that well.
It is always a special treat for me when I have the opportunity to lead praise for the congregation. And it was a super special treat for me to lead praise during Easter. I certainly felt the pleasure of God. And I hope and pray that others did too—not because I was leading, but because they were singing for joy to what God has done.
Father, You are worthy of all glory, honor, and praise. May our songs and music always be pleasing to You, because they come from our hearts—hearts filled with joy and gratitude because of Your love. May You be pleased, and let us feel Your pleasure. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
