Our God is a God of music…and music appreciation. He ordained Jubal, one of Cain’s great-great-great-great-grandsons, to be the “father of all those who play the harp and flute” (Gen. 4:21). God gifted Moses, David, Asaph, and others to write psalms and music for His glory and our edification. Zephaniah proclaims our God is a singing God (Zeph. 3:17). And we know Jesus sang with His disciples at the Passover feast before going out to the Mount of Olives (Matt. 26:30). Bible scholar Warren Wiersbie points out that Jesus also sang after His triumphant resurrection from the dead (Ps. 22:22 and Heb. 2:12). Moreover, today the Holy Spirit sings through the hearts and lips of believers who praise God (Eph. 5:18-21).
If our God commands us to encourage one another with hymns and spiritual songs, and wants our musical praise (Psalms 33 and 150), it seems logical to conclude that we should train our children in music. It is an element of our young ones’ educations that we can foster in many ways:
- Provide them a variety of musical instruments for experimentation.
- Expose them to a wide range of musical styles and artists/composers.
- Take them to an orchestra or symphony production.
- Sing songs with them.
- Get them music lessons on an instrument of their choice.
- Teach them the lyrics of great hymns of faith. Elisabeth Tanner, author of Music Appreciation, shares that she and her husband have chosen twelve hymns on which to focus for the year as part of their family devotions. Each month they memorize a new hymn—working on a new verse each week.
- Point out how music is used effectively in movies, at parades, in stores, etc.
- Play instrumental music at meal times. (It’s soothing and aids digestion, supposedly.)
- Praise the Lord for music.
Our God appreciates music, and He is the God of music. Let’s worship Him with music, and foster music lovers in our families!