Presenting Music to God’s Ears

Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My mom loved music of many kinds and often played LPs on our hi-fi at home. LPs? Hi-fi? What are they, right? She had learned to play the piano as a girl, and we had an electric organ in our living room that she played. 

 

I have a black-and-white photo of myself as a toddler, holding little drumsticks. As a pre-teen I would pull pots out of the cupboard and bang on them with a spoon. Finally, Mom bought me a cheap snare drum since I was always drumming up business. When I stuck with it, she paid for drum lessons and bought me a drum set.

That led to my joining the percussion section of our high school band, where I received exposure to different kinds of music in the marching, dance and concert bands. I enjoyed performing Sousa marches, jazz tunes and light classical music. Although I never became a polished musician, music has remained a significant part of my life.

That being said, it was a bit of a challenge to adjust to contemporary Christian praise music being presented in many of our churches today. My childhood church experience was with the old hymns, like “Rock of Ages,” “The Church’s One Foundation,” “A Mighty Fortress” and “Blessed Assurance.” Even before I came to know Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord, I appreciated the theological richness of their lyrics.

 

Like many people, the first times I heard guitars and drums during a worship service were a shock – even with my background as a drummer. Some praise songs, I’d have to say, caused me to wonder who the object of praise really was. Their lyrics contained pronouns like “me” and “I” and “my” a lot more than references to God. They seemed more concerned with “me-ology” than theology.

Thankfully, over time I’ve discovered there are quite a few Christian artists who understand the importance of emphasizing that our praise should be centered on the Lord and who He is with less focus on what He can do for us. 

 

There’s even a tune called “This Is My Song” we’ve sung a lot at our church, originally performed by Health Balitzglier, Mac Powell and North Point Worship. The lyrics, interestingly, consist primarily of the titles of old hymns many of us seasoned in the faith remember. It begins, “I remember those melodies, the words we sang when I first believed….” 

 

It continues, “And I sang in Christ alone my solid ground, Oh, amazing grace, how sweet the sound, on that rugged cross Jesus paid it all, because He lives this is my song….” It’s sad that many younger believers have never actually heard the old hymns referenced. However, increasingly some of the vintage hymns and songs are being reconfigured into more upbeat rhythms without losing their theological depth.

 

Thinking about this “evolution” of church music has caused me to wonder what God thinks about it, what He considers to be music to His ears. Music in the sanctuary can be one of the dividing points for many congregations, but if the music is intended for the Lord, His opinion should matter most.

 

A couple passages, while they don’t directly address the progression of musical traditions and styles, seem to give us insight into what God thinks. One of them, as translated in the old King James Version, says, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord…. Come into His presence with singing….” (Psalm 100:1-2). Even years ago, I found this very encouraging, because my singing at best can be described a “a joyful noise.”

 

Some might yearn for the “olden days” when pipe organs and pianos were the primary instruments for worship. For them, amped guitars, keyboards and drums might seem merely as “noise,” but if the musicians are playing “unto the Lord,” I suspect He is pleased.

 

The other passage is Colossians 3:16 which instructs us to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Since it cites “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs,” this seems to acknowledge there are many kinds of music that can be utilized in our worship to the Lord. 

The greater question might be, are we singing with gratitude in our hearts to God? If we are, then I believe God is pleased whether we’re singing acapella, to the resonant notes of a pipe organ, the accompaniment of a piano, or the reverberating sounds of guitar, keyboard and drums. As the next verse in Colossians continues, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”