The Power of Worship (1 Chronicles 6:31–32)

These are the men whom David put in charge of the service of song in the house of the Lord after the ark rested there. They ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting until Solomon built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they performed their service according to their order.
—1 Chronicles 6:31–32

I love this picture of people put in charge of the service of song, who ministered with song. And obviously, things are not the same as they were in the Old Testament with the ark and the tabernacle or the temple, but song is a really important part of worship among the people of God today. You just think about Ephesians 5: “Don’t be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Holy Spirit,” addressing one another with songs and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.

1 Chronicles 6:31–32 teaches us to worship God through song.

This is part of what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit, is to sing, which is why, when you think about it, it’s fairly normal for people, especially if you’ve grown up in church or if you’ve been in church for a long time, to like to gather together and to sing. But for somebody who’s visiting church for the first time, it’s got to sound or look a little weird. Like, what is this gathering of people doing, a sing-along together about? Well, here’s what it’s about. It’s about a people who know God and love God, and it overflows in musical praise and worship.

The fact that in the middle of our Bible, we have 150 psalms, songs, prayers, sung and put to music. So I just want to encourage you. Obviously, all of us have different personalities and gifts. Some of us have great singing voices. Some of us don’t have great singing voices. I would be considered in the latter position. But we all have been given the service of song. We have all been commanded to address one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs and to sing and make melody to the Lord with our hearts. So I would just encourage you, in some of your time alone with God, to sing.

1 Chronicles 6:31–32 encourages us to embrace music as God’s gift.

Get alone with him and maybe put on some music and sing. And then when you come together with the church, sing. Don’t stand there like bored out of your mind, or don’t stand there just kind of disengaged.

No, sing and make melody to the Lord with your heart as one who’s filled with his Spirit and loves to worship him with this art form that God has given us as a gift going all the way back to the beginning of his people.

Oh God, we thank you for music. We thank you for songs. Lord, we thank you for musicians. We thank you for singers. God, we praise you for those you have gifted with musical talent, with voices and the ability to play instruments that resound to your glory. We pray for your blessing on them. God, we thank you for everyone who leads us in musical worship, and we pray for your blessing on them. We pray that you’d help them to walk humbly and wholly with you, that they might sing and play music out of the overflow of intimacy with you.

And God, we pray for the ministry of song in all of our lives. We pray that you would help us to experience the joy you’ve designed for us. Well, really, all the emotions you’ve designed for us in singing to you, whether alone or when we gather together. Just Spirit-filled singing with one another, making melody in our hearts to you.

A Prayer for the Kumbewaha People

And God, we pray for the spread of that song to the ends of the earth. We pray for songs to be sung in every single language on the planet, praising and worshiping and giving thanksgiving to you. We pray for the Kumbewaha people in Indonesia.

God, we pray that among this small people group in Indonesia that they would hear the gospel and sing the gospel, that they would join in what we know is coming: Revelation 7, a song; Revelation 5, a new song of worship and praise to you.

Yes, God, bring it about and use our lives toward that end as we sing of your greatness. Help us to spread your greatness. In Jesus’ name we pray and sing. Amen.