This can be of particular encouragement when a Christian comes to church after a particularly hard or discouraging week. We might feel so low and downcast that we have nothing to lift up before God and no ability to turn our attention to God with thanksgiving. Yet the singing of others and our own singing with them may serve to remind us of the spiritual realities of what God has done.

There is an old joke for those who cannot sing that I may not be making a joyful noise but at least I’m joyful when I make it. For those reasons, some people can find congregational singing to be intimidating, yet, hopefully, we would all acknowledge the importance of congregational singing as a part of corporate worship.

Paul instructs us that worship is vital to encouraging one another and building each other up:

Eph. 5:18-20 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,  addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Col. 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Worship is first and foremost addressing God and giving glory to God. Paul is clear in both of these passages that “singing and making melody” is “to the Lord” (Eph. 5:19) and “to God” (Col. 3:16). We are giving thanks to God who is the true and proper object of worship.

The proper attitude of singing and worship is with thankfulness. While worship is a duty, it is to be done with a proper spirit and attitude of the heart. We are to come singing not begrudging that we “have” to do it. Sometimes this is a challenge to those who are less musically inclined because singing is actually work. Nevertheless, singing to God raises up our hearts and emotions to God while we engage our minds with the words we are saying about him. It engages the whole person.

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