If You Can't Sing, Please Do!

I love to hear great choral music, a tight women’s trio, or a gifted solo performer. Seriously, I could sit and listen for hours. Often, especially in live performances, the hair on my arms will stand up, a chill will run down my spine, or tears will moisten my eyes. There is nothing like beautiful music from those gifted to sing!

You have that experience too?

But there’s another beauty I hope to evoke today.

I love to hear, in church services above all, people who are terrible singers belting out the truths of the songs we sing.

Every time this happens, it’s like my soul smiles from ear to ear. (Wait, is that possible?)

I think there are at least five reasons for this unusual treat:

1. Their love for Jesus obviously trumps their fear of what others will think. Not sure about you, but for me this indicates that they are the same way in the world as they are in the church service. Their love for Jesus will trump their fear of what others think.
2. Their love for Jesus inspires people around them. This may seem counter-intuitive. How can bad singing inspire people? In addition to the above, it testifies to fellow worshipers that the gathering is about Jesus, not refined singing. This is a built-in win!
3. Their love for Jesus gets expressed, which fuels their love for Jesus. You’ve experienced this, yes? When you sing—out loud, not under your breath—the profound truths of song lyrics about who Jesus is and what He has done, it makes you fall more in love with Him. I love that this happens for “non-singers” and singers alike.
4. It is counter-cultural. In our specialized society, we expect people to be good at whatever they do and leave the rest for another specialist. But in following Jesus there’s no specialty. There’s just family. We love it when our brother or sister sings because of who they are, not because of what they do. This is not the way of the world, but it is the way of Jesus.
5. Non-singer, it makes your life better. There is scientific evidence that the commands of God to SING are good for you! It will cheer your heart. It will do things in you, physiologically, that nothing else can do. So as much as I love this for what the rest of us get out of it, I want you to sing most of all because of what you will get out of it.

The world says, “Sing, if you’re good enough.” the Bible says, “Sing, because God is good.”

So if you can’t sing, please do!