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The Power of
Song
By
Pastor Jack Hayford
Can we even
begin to understand the power of song?
By "song"
I mean more than mouthing words to a line of music. I am referring
to the burst of melody that accompanies the announcement of words
which, with understanding, are declared in praise to God..
Scripture describes
a group in David’s time who were "under the direction
of their father for song" and who were instructed
in the songs of the Lord" (1 Chronicles 25:6,7).
What a dramatic parallel might be found in today’s church,
if we would allow ourselves to come under the directing
hand of the Father . . . if we would allow His Spirit
to teach us the essence of the power of song.
Consider God’s
Word on this:
"Sing,
O Barren,
You who have not borne!
Break forth into singing, and cry aloud,
You who have not travailed with child!
For more are the children of the desolate
Than the children of the married woman,"
says the Lord (Isaiah 54:1).
This passage
tells us to sing when barrenness has locked out fruitfulness. It
clearly intimates that the power of song creates a setting in which
life may be conceived and brought to full delivery.
For
this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when
You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters They shall
not come near him. You are my hiding place; You shall preserve
me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance
(Psalm 32:6,7).
David instructs
us of the power of song to deliver from bondage. Oppressive works
of hell cannot tolerate the singing of saints who refuse to be quenched
in their spirit when bondage threatens. They sing instead!
And
they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness
of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear
me O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord
your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets,
and you shall prosper."
And
when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who
should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness,
as they went out before the army and were saying,
"Praise
the Lord, For His mercy endures forever." (2
Chronicles 20:20,21).
King Jehoshaphat’s
people demonstrate the sheer power of praise in this classic Old
Testament story of Judah marching to battle with the choir leading
her troops. The message: If the battle is the Lord’s, then enter
it praising Him—it scatters the opposition every time.
Let
the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching
and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord (Colossians
3:16).
And
do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled
with the Spirit, speaking to one an other in psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to
the Lord (Ephesians 5:18,19).
Paul’s words
from two letters blend together to teach us the power of song to
(1) keep you filled with the Holy Spirit, and (2) make the Word
of God rich in its action within your soul and spirit. It seems
that "song" may provide the spiritual enzymes by which
the "meat of the Word" is broken down within us and assimilated
into our lives.
Where
were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if
you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely
you know!
Or
who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations
fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning
stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted
for joy? (Job 38:4-7).
Job’s encounter
with God produced these ancient words. The setting is "the
beginning," at creation; and the scene notes how God’s majestic
act of bringing our world into being was accompanied by angelic
song.
I
wonder about that. I
wonder if the Lord might not want us to understand that
if we would
sing more, it might release Him to work far more creatively
in our life circumstances. Frankly,
I think so.
So, it’s no
small wonder Paul says, "I will sing with the spirit, and I
will also sing with the understanding" (1 Corinthians 14:15).
He knows what he is talking about. Acts 16:25-34 records something
of his experience with song—shattering the bondage of a Philippian
dungeon and introducing salvation to a household. Thus he learned:
We are not called to sing merely with gusto—but with Holy Spirit-begotten
understanding and energy.
That kind of
song shattered chains and broke open prison doors for Paul. Think
what it might do for you. |
Jack
Hayford Ministries
14800 Sherman Way, Van Nuys, CA 91405-2233