The Joy of Music

What are some of your favorite combinations? Because I am hungry as I write this, I’m immediately thinking of peanut butter and jelly—one of the greatest combos of all time (in my humble opinion). This was a standard in my lunchbox as a child, but I didn’t fully appreciate its greatness until I matured into adulthood. I don’t know who invented the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but I sure would like to personally thank them.

I’m a lifetime basketball fan, so the word “combo” also makes me think of the all-time great teammate duos of the sport, like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird and Kevin McHale. Now that I live in Dallas, TX, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving come to mind as well. Their combined forces can accomplish great things. They’ve all proven that they can accomplish more together than they can individually.

When I read Psalm 95:1, I think of another powerful combination—and it’s way more significant than peanut butter and jelly. It is a rich combination of music and lyrics. In God’s masterful creativity, He combined something that stirs our hearts and emotions like nothing else (music) with our greatest form of communication (words and language). This combination of music and lyrics helps us share a life-changing message with the world around us and also acts as a vehicle for us to worship our Savior from the depths of our hearts. Christian songs are treasures from God Himself that offer us a powerful way to celebrate Christ, point others to Him, and bring glory to His unmatched name.

God had additional plans for music as well. The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Colossae, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16 NASB).

Again, through God’s creative design, music can be used as a tool to help us have God’s Word dwelling richly in us to the point that it helps us recall truth and share it (“teach and admonish”) with others. If you’ve been involved in almost any local church for some time, you’ve probably learned numerous verses of Scripture because someone created a melody to go along with those verses so that you could sing them and memorize them more easily. We often still use the same practice today in our worship services here at First Dallas. Many of the lyrics we sing are taken directly from God’s Word. This is an intentional effort to equip and encourage us in our mission to transform our world with God’s Word—one life at a time.

Notice the last words of Colossians 3:16, “with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Paul’s progression here is careful and calculated. When the believer allows God’s Word to dwell in their hearts through singing, the end result is gratitude—and gratitude is the pathway to joy. David made a similar connection in Psalm 95:1 with his call to “sing for joy to the Lord.” Whether you’re alone with God or in a congregation full of believers, it’s hard to be anything but joyful when you’re singing to the One who made you and saved you. This holy time of year is one of the richest seasons to sing the good news and make much of Christ and His arrival in Bethlehem as Emmanuel. Heed the call of David this Christmas season and sing for joy to the Lord. He alone is worthy of our songs of praise!

The Dallas Christmas Spectacular is more than a special concert. It is an opportunity for us to bask in the joy of the Lord through music—music that reminds us that “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NASB). These concerts give us a wonderful opportunity to join together and use the gift of song to remind ourselves of the gospel, to share this saving message with those whom we invite, and to worship our Savior with gratitude for all He is and all He has done.

Questions for Thought

1. David had plenty to say about singing in the Psalms, but what other authors encourage us to sing in Scripture? What can you learn from them about singing to the Lord?
2. What Scriptures have you learned because they were set to music? Encourage your own heart today by singing them throughout this day.

Daily Challenge

We often associate singing in worship with Sunday morning. Consider using a hymnal devotionally during this season and sing some of the great carols of our faith to the Lord during your quiet time with Him.