The Powerful Role Of Music In The Pursuit Of God

I have to be honest – I feel that music gets a bad rap when it comes to “Christian” circles.

We like to talk about how worship is not about music. That pursuing Jesus isn’t about the songs you sing. It’s inward, right?

But what about all the mentions of music throughout Scripture?

Psalm 150 commands us to “praise Him” with the sound of loud instruments.

Remember how King David organized thousands of full time musicians to stand before the Lord day and night?

Not only did he organize musicians – he created instruments for the purpose of praise (I Chronicles 23:5).

I think God has a thing for music. And in this post I want to explore why that is.

Let me make a distinction here. My aim in this post is to talk about the particular role of instrumental music. Vocals are certainly instrumental and musical, but I feel particularly in the “Christian” world we can so emphasize the lyric and the message at the exclusion of the music itself.

Music itself is a powerful tool in all of our pursuit of God. And I want you to see your hard work, practice, and commitment in that light.

Don’t just use your music to serve yourself. Realize that your music is part of a bigger story – a story to reflect the glory of God, a story to reach human hearts, and a story to help us savor the beauty of this fragile life.

Music and Pursuing God

How does your music assist others in worshiping God?

1. Music Helps to Sustain Prayer – Given our short attention spans, praying for an extended period of time can be difficult. But music assists us in those sustained moments of prayer and praise by giving us something to work with.

2. Music Causes Us to Feel – As human beings, we process life through our senses. That’s why art is such a powerful communication tool. We are captured by the power of story – of love, loss, victory, and triumph. I could simply tell you God is glorious. Or, you could make me feel it on your instrument.

3. Music Calls Us to Slow Down – If you’re like me, you have a tendency to find a part of your worth in how busy and productive you are. A moment doesn’t pass where you’re not accomplishing something whether that’s finishing a blog post, keeping up on social media, doing work, or cleaning the house. We’re always busy. But music beckons me to slow down and be present – to think about the goodness of God and be grateful.

Today’s Challenge

I want to challenge you to get lost in your instrument – to explore new creative depths with it. The longer you play worship music the easier it is to use music as a means to pulling off services. You’re just learning and rehashing parts. That has its important place.

But what I’m advocating is for you get lost again.

To explore new realms of creativity.

To experiment with new sounds and textures.

To expand your palette of colors.

Help us to see the age-old, more-than-relevant truths of the Bible in a new light, with a new sound.

Notice how I’m trying to describe this phenomenon with words that aren’t musical – color, light, texture. That’s because it’s a mystery. The beauty and complexity of music runs deep. That’s how God designed it.

Maybe these experiments will find their way into corporate worship. Maybe they won’t. But in either case, it’s good for you and it’s good for others to experience your adventurous pursuit of God through music.

Let’s recover the creativity. Let’s recover the story.

What are you going to do? What are some ways you can see your instrument in a new light? Let’s discuss in the comments.

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