0702 PRAYING TWICE

JULY 2 = COLOSSIANS 3

PRAYING TWICE

This entire chapter is one of the very first ones for every Christian to memorize and meditate on daily. But since verse 16 talks about singing, maybe it’s best for me to highlight this one today.

The context of what we sing has to do with our attitudes toward Christ and toward one another. We are setting our hearts on things above, where Christ is. And we are clothing ourselves with virtues, especially love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. We let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. And we are thankful. And that’s the context in which we sing.

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”

Do you know how to let the message of Christ dwell among us? Do all the things in the first 15 verses, and talk about it. Now, do you know how to let the message of Christ dwell among us RICHLY? Do all those things, and SING about it. As someone has said, “He who sings prays twice.” There is something about setting words to a tune that makes it easier to memorize, for one thing. But singing also drives those words straight to the heart. 

Turning prose into poetry can cause us to dwell on each syllable and glean insights on a much deeper level. Adding melody to those poetic words magnifies the meaning all the more. And one more benefit to singing the message of Christ is that everyone in the room can join in on proclaiming it together.

Have you heard about the time when the backslidden king of Judah Saul came upon Samuel and a group of prophets who were singing along the way? He was overcome by the Spirit and lay there on the ground prophesying the rest of the day! And so went the saying, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” (See 1 Samuel 10 and 19) Song can cut through even the resistant heart of a rebel and bring him to repentance, if only for a day.

Having said all that, let’s take note (so to speak) of what we sing, and to whom we sing.

We sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Now, we think we know what those words mean by our modern use of the terms, and those three categories could work for us today. Psalms could be the Old Testament book of 150 poems we know today. Hymns could refer to songs of human composure set to meter and rhyme, or to the poetic expressions found in the New Testament from time to time. Spiritual songs could refer to contemporary worship songs or praise choruses. 

The point is not the exact definition, but the breadth of poetic expression created even in those infant days of the church. Sing what is at your disposal. Sing what works in your culture, in your generation, in your musical heart language. What’s more (and this is essential), sing the music of everyone in the room. One generation likes the psalms, while another is more into hymns. People from a different cultural background prefer those spiritual songs. Remember back in 1 Corinthians, how Paul said that everyone in the church would be coming prepared with a psalm or an instruction, and so forth? Be sure everyone in the gathering has had their own musical/poetic expression at some point before they leave, and that we all submit to one another’s preferences, that all may be built up.

Speaking of which, did you notice that when we sing, our song goes two directions at the same time. He says we are to teach and admonish one another. Look around the room and encourage and strengthen the others who are there. No one should leave the assembly feeling left out. Music has the power to unite us, but it also has the power to divide, when only one kind of music is used. What’s more, we are teaching as we sing. And sometimes we are admonishing. In any case, we are all aware of everyone in the room.

The other direction we sing is “to God” with gratitude in our hearts to him. So in addition to singing songs that teach and admonish, we sing songs that worship and praise God directly. And we sing with gratitude in our hearts. So I am ministering in song to my own spirit (gratitude), to one another (we teach and admonish), and to God (praise and worship).

This is our moment to shine, church! It is the moment when everyone in the room speaks truth to one another. It is our time to show the beauty of our unity, as everyone’s voice blends together with the rest, and all are equal in the sight of God. We wait for one another, we sag in pitch together, and in the end we sound better when we do it as one.

May the Lord hear us all praying twice at our next gathering. Amen.