Worship songs are at the core of the Christian experience. It doesn’t matter if you’re speaking of old hymns or the latest hit from Hillsong, music has played an integral role in the life of a believer. While there are several genres and other categorizations that can be used to classify worship music, it can be defined at the end of the day as anything that is sung in adoration of God.
In the Christian’s life, reading the Bible and prayer are often given the highest prioritization when it comes to getting closer with God. You won’t get any argument against those two options from us, but we all know that there several ways to strengthen our faith. Perhaps these ways would include fellowship, discipleship, evangelism, charity, and other worthwhile endeavors.
Presumably every Christian knows that worship music can draw us closer to God, but have we ever wondered why that is? How can worship songs strengthen your faith? Let’s take a look.
This isn’t meant to imply that worship songs are deeper than other aspects of Christianity, but rather that music itself can affect us differently than, say, a classroom setting.
For years now, scientists have been aware of how music can affect our brains. Whether it changes our mood, helps us to focus, or even lowers our blood pressure, music clearly has an impact on the human body.
But how does that transfer over to the spiritual side of things?
Worship songs have the ability to reach us in a way that a sermon or lesson may not. It’s important to explain that the notes in a song are not literally bringing us closer to Christ, but rather we are more open to the message of a song because of the music.
All of us are wired a little differently. Some people love to hear great speaking, others enjoy video and picture illustrations, while more may connect best through community.
This transitions well into why we often enjoy having worship music in a Sunday morning service. Music offers a reprieve from quietly sitting and taking notes for an hour. With worship music, we have a chance to actively lift our voices to God in adoration and thanksgiving.
“Are you saying that church is boring?” Not at all. One of the many signs of a good church is the ability to appeal to members’ spiritual needs through a variety of paths. While your favorite part of a service might be the reading of Scripture, your neighbor might enjoy corporate prayer or worship the most.
The main focus of a church service is not to entertain an audience, of course, but outlets for worship songs allow Christians the chance to respond to Biblical teaching or invite an atmosphere of worship.
Worship songs can also mix things up when we are alone with God. Again, prayer and Bible reading are the bedrock of Christianity. That doesn’t mean we can’t find other ways to enhance our time alone with God. Some people keep a journal of their thoughts and prayers, others may have a prayer closet.
One way you could mix up your morning quiet time could be to listen to a hymn or worship song after praying and reading your Bible. A time of response and meditation, this works similar to how we use worship music in a group setting. If you don’t necessarily have the time or capability to do that, simply adding Christian music to your daily commute might help.
You might find this point to be a bit too obvious, but the best worship songs are those that contain pure truth no matter how big or small. A calming melody or catchy beat have the ability to captivate; however, a worship song without absolute Truth backing it up is worthless.
No matter how great a worship song is musically, the lyrics are where the power is found. Think about the classic hymn “Jesus Paid It All.” The words say:
“Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow”
This small portion of the hymn basically tells the story of the gospel in a nutshell. We understand the love of God, our sinful nature, and what our response should be.
For something more modern, let’s look at this classic from Chris Tomlin:
“You’re the God of this city,
You’re the King of this people,
You’re the Lord of this nation, You are,
You’re the light in this darkness,
You’re the hope to the hopeless,
You’re the peace to the restless, You are”
Something as simple as reaffirming the sovereignty of God and listing his attributes has a powerful effect. “God of This City” is a strong worship anthem partly due to its stirring chorus, but the lyrics from beginning to end are about trusting God to move in the places where He is needed.
In a sense, the purpose of worship music is to repackage the truth of the Bible into a way that we can then celebrate through song. There are even a large number of songs that are straight Scripture. Bands like Shane and Shane and Third Day are just a couple that have put out worship songs that lift heavily from the Bible. Using Scripture as an anchor for your worship song is a pretty good way to make sure your message stays on point.
If you’ve ever been to a conference that featured a particularly strong worship set, you know that a simple lyric can bring an entire arena together around a single idea.
There’s something about worship songs that make them even more powerful in a large group. Not to downplay a soloist or small gathering, but when an entire room full of people devote themselves to a worship song’s message and dial into the Spirit, it’s powerful.
A recent example of this happening was a video that Matt Redman shot in Times Square. While not a traditional setting, the video does show the power of a worship song being shared among a mixed group.
Think about how amazing it is that a song you’re listening to on your mp3 player can help a person 2,000 miles away reconnect with God. Of course, the music itself isn’t where the power is found, but the truth in its message and the sincerity of its delivery can change lives.
Music is a universal language that becomes even more powerful when we use it to praise God.
Have you ever listened to an old worship song that you grew up with and come across a lyric that hit you like a crashing wave?
Sadly, there are many times in worship services where we just barely pay attention to the words written in a song. Choruses often stick with us, but we have trouble remembering the verses. When we are going through a certain trial, though, we may hear something that will give a song a completely new meaning.
This effect is also something we experience when reading Scripture. After months of suffering through a hardship, we come across a verse that seems as though it had been written with us in mind. It’s important to note that song lyrics shouldn’t be equated with Scripture, but both have a way of surprising us from time to time.
Everyone has their own way of drawing closer to God and strengthening their faith. Worship songs are only one way that God can speak to us, but they can do so powerfully.
At the K-LOVE Fan Awards, we understand the effect that worship music can play in our day-to-day lives. That’s why we like to take time each year to celebrate the musicians that are making an impact on the Christian culture. More than just a standard awards show, this is the biggest weekend in Christian entertainment.
Find out how you can attend by clicking on the link below.
We know that making travel plans for you and your family can be a bit of a hassle. That’s why we wrote our own Nashville Travel Guide to help you out. Tennessee’s state capital is one of the fastest-growing cities in America, so come see what all the fuss is about.
