Worship Articles by Stephen M. Newman Pastor of Worship and Arts February 10, 2007

I don't believe that singing is more important than prayer because it is mentioned one more times than pray. I do believe that it is equally important. When I sing, I am offering my worship to the Lord. I am using one of the most powerful tools that has the ability to touch the emotions of people, and I believe God. Music has always been a powerful instrument in the Bible. Walls fell down when instruments were played. We cannot deny the power of music on the human level, as well as to Christians. You don't even have to ask a lost person if they like music or if it moves them, the billions of dollars spent annually speaks for itself. Lost people sing, too. They do not sing because they are talented, but because it is enjoyable and it makes them feel good.

The believer that refuses to sing, for whatever reason, is missing out on a great treasure in their worship experience. They are, in a sense, being disobedient to God. You can't sing unto the Lord a new song until you first sing unto the Lord a song. Some may say that David was only saying what he felt. While that is true, if the Bible is the inspired word of God, then it is from God. Rev 5:13 says, “Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" There is singing in heaven even now and will be for all time. How important is singing you ask? When we get to heaven we will not pray any longer. We will not preach or share the gospel any longer. We will sing, however. We will sit around the throne of God and sing Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty!

We need to teach those who think singing is a waste to time in our services. We need to help them see that singing is very important to God and needs to be a large part of our worship experience. How we do it will vary, but the need is there. Don't let people miss out on singing, and go through life without singing to the Lord. We need to teach that it's not the quality of the voice, but the clarity of the heart that God looks at. Keep in mind that leadership in music and worship needs to be lead by gifted, called people. But, singing to the Lord is for everyone.

Does singing = praying? It doesn't matter. There is clear support for both in the Bible and both deserve attention in our teaching and preaching, and both need to be practiced by those of us who call ourselves Christians. It won't happen over night but with prayer and patience, God will move the hearts of those who need to grow in this area if we are faithful to lead and pray.

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Prayer as a Discipline Hi Steve,I enjoyed your article and as it turns out it is right down the alley of what I’ve been teaching in my mid-week Bible study. I think asking the question about prayer is complicated by a perception of prayer that strays from the biblical ...more Submitted by: John A. White Location: Orange, CA
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