How important is music to God? This is a question that occurred to me during a morning worship service a few Sundays ago. Personally, I love how music leads us in worship and how much more deeply I am called to respond emotionally to my God through music than merely through reading and studying God’s Word. Granted, that intellectual study and mental assent to truths in Scripture are mandated acts in the Christian life; and that is an aspect of the Christian walk that I never want to minimize. However, I believe the element of music is also an integral part of our worship.
God loves music so much that he made one of the first men be the “father of all those who play the harp and flute” (Jubal in Gen. 4:21). He loves it so much that even at the last judgments He has angels singing the songs of Moses and the Lamb (Rev. 16:3). God loves music so much that he gifted David and Moses and Asaph and others to write an entire book of songs (Psalms). He caused James to encourage believers to sing cheerfully (James 5:13). And God moved Paul to write instructions to the new church regarding psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19, 20).
From the beginning of man’s story through the final judgments, we are called to use music to praise our Lord. As a matter of fact, if we as humans don’t sing praises to God for our salvation, He has already determined that the mountains, hills, and trees will “break forth into singing” before us and “clap their hands” (Is. 55:12). While it is awe-inspiring to think of the beauty of nature giving glory to God in an audible way as well as a visual way, it is even more awesome to think that our God allows us to use the creative gift of music to bring Him thanksgiving, praise, honor, glory, and worship.
So, how important is music to God? Music seems to be an integral part of our worship of God. And I’m so blessed that He allows us to enjoy it and use it on a daily (if not hourly) basis. We have a gracious and good God. Sing a song of praise to Him about those very truths! Or read Psalm 103 together as a family and list all the reasons in that psalm that David chronicles for us to praise our God.