Singing that Makes a Difference

The apostle Paul, in Colossians 3:16-17, encouraged the people:  “Teach and help one another along the right road with your psalms and hymns and Christian songs, singing God’s praises with joyful hearts….” (Phillips)  For him singing was inextricably linked to the process of God’s word getting into our hearts and lives.  Singing that makes a difference involves more than just singing words. Sometimes I find myself singing on “auto pilot” when I could be singing to express thoughts.

I’d like to share an experience that had a great impact on me, personally.  When I was in high school I attended a Farm Bureau convention where a gentleman by the name of Ariel Lovelace led us farm kids in the singing of African-American spirituals.  His leadership was so inspiring that we sounded like what seemed a choir of angels.  Years later I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Lovelace.  I asked him to share his secret for effective leadership.  His answer was simple and profound.  He said that he doesn’t lead others until he is so filled with the song that he can’t keep it inside any longer. With that power-packed thought in mind, I challenge myself and others who are privileged to lead, to be filled with God’s spirit and the message of the songs we sing and play.  This admonition is for instrumentalists as well as singers. 

How can we become filled with the message of a song?  Learning the story behind a song can serve as inspiration.  A Google search for “Hymn Stories” could serve as a starting point for the those who are curious.  Ken Osbeck has written on this topic, and his book entitled 101 Hymn Stories [and others] are available from Kregel Press. The late Don Hustad provided a rich resource in The Worship Leader’s Edition of The Worshiping Church  (Hope Publishing, 1990).  His emphasis is on the scriptural and theological content of hymns.  Another great way to inwardly digest the message of a song is to read it devotionally.  Although music is my profession, the message of the words has become more important than the music.  I suggest that we first savor the words, then let the music underscore and reinforce their meaning.  With God’s help we can [and should] strive to stir up the song in the hearts of all people.  This is theme of the following prayer: 

O Lord, restore your song in hearts of old and young;
In every land and every tongue, let your praise be sung.
Refrain:  O Lord, restore your song.
With joy our hearts can swell when all is going well,
But when there’s trouble, doubt, or wrong, we need a different song.  Ref
Let those who have no song be drawn until they long
To drink of your life-giving stream and find release in song.  Ref
The song your Spirit breathes is like a gentle breeze,
You calm our fears, you dry our tears, to You our hearts belong. Ref
Let hearts once filled with pain now long to praise your name.
O give us a desire to sing praise to Christ, our King.
Refrain:  Lord, fill our lives with song.

Words:  Ron Sprunger; Music:  Linda Sprunger

Note: A recording of the above song is included under Media.

402 thoughts on “Singing that Makes a Difference”

  4. lose money

    Amazing! I recently read your post and I’m absolutely amazed. Your insight on the topic is incredibly insightful. I’ve gained a new perspective and can’t wait to read more. Keep up the great work!

    Reply
  13. criminal

    Wow! I recently read your blog post and I’m thoroughly impressed. Your perspective on the topic is incredibly insightful. I’ve gained a new perspective and am eager to see what you write next. Keep up the great work!

    Reply
  34. lose money

    Amazing! I just finished reading your blog post and I’m absolutely amazed. Your perspective on this topic is incredibly insightful. I’ve learned so much and can’t wait to see what you write next. Your work is inspiring!

    Reply
  41. lose money

    Fantastic! I just finished reading your blog post and I’m thoroughly impressed. Your analysis on this topic is extremely valuable. It really made me think and am eager to see your next post. Your work is inspiring!

    Reply
  60. lose money

    I highly advise to avoid this site. My own encounter with it has been nothing but dismay and suspicion of deceptive behavior. Be extremely cautious, or better yet, find a trustworthy platform to fulfill your requirements.

    Reply
  75. lose money

    I urge you steer clear of this platform. My personal experience with it has been nothing but disappointment along with doubts about fraudulent activities. Exercise extreme caution, or alternatively, seek out an honest platform for your needs.

    Reply
  101. scam

    I strongly recommend to avoid this site. My own encounter with it was only frustration as well as concerns regarding deceptive behavior. Exercise extreme caution, or alternatively, seek out an honest platform to meet your needs.

    Reply
  112. scam

    I strongly recommend stay away from this platform. My own encounter with it has been purely dismay as well as doubts about deceptive behavior. Be extremely cautious, or alternatively, seek out an honest service for your needs.

    Reply
  113. criminal

    I urge you stay away from this site. The experience I had with it has been nothing but dismay as well as doubts about fraudulent activities. Proceed with extreme caution, or better yet, find a trustworthy service to fulfill your requirements.

    Reply
  125. lose money

    I urge you stay away from this site. The experience I had with it was nothing but dismay along with doubts about scamming practices. Exercise extreme caution, or alternatively, look for a trustworthy service for your needs.

    Reply
  132. scam

    I strongly recommend stay away from this site. The experience I had with it has been only disappointment as well as doubts about scamming practices. Exercise extreme caution, or alternatively, look for a more reputable service to fulfill your requirements.

    Reply
  138. criminal

    I urge you steer clear of this platform. My personal experience with it has been only dismay and concerns regarding deceptive behavior. Proceed with extreme caution, or alternatively, find an honest platform to meet your needs.

    Reply
  161. lose money

    I highly advise steer clear of this platform. My own encounter with it was nothing but disappointment and concerns regarding scamming practices. Proceed with extreme caution, or better yet, seek out a trustworthy platform to fulfill your requirements.

    Reply
  164. scam

    I urge you stay away from this site. My personal experience with it has been nothing but dismay as well as concerns regarding deceptive behavior. Be extremely cautious, or better yet, look for a trustworthy site to fulfill your requirements.

    Reply
  183. lose money

    I urge you stay away from this site. The experience I had with it was only dismay along with doubts about deceptive behavior. Proceed with extreme caution, or better yet, look for an honest site to meet your needs.

    Reply
  188. lose money

    I highly advise stay away from this site. My own encounter with it has been only dismay along with suspicion of deceptive behavior. Proceed with extreme caution, or better yet, find a trustworthy service to fulfill your requirements.

    Reply
  240. scam

    I highly advise stay away from this site. My personal experience with it was purely dismay along with doubts about fraudulent activities. Exercise extreme caution, or even better, seek out a trustworthy service for your needs.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *