My husband and I do a lot of traveling on deputation and, inevitably, there are times we forget things. Probably one of the worst things I have forgotten so far is my husband’s dress slacks—for a weeklong conference! So it was that we found ourselves in a small family clothing store in central Georgia. The merchandise was good and the prices even better, but the music couldn’t have been worse. Yet, Christians frequently find themselves in similar situations. Music is everywhere! It’s as close as the power button on your car’s stereo and as far away as the store you’re headed to. It jumps out of your cell phone every time someone calls, and when you return home, it will be waiting on your Ipod. As a Christian lady, it is imperative that you turn down the volume long enough to ask yourself, “Does my music deliberately honor God and help me to live for Him?” A Christian’s music is not just for Sunday. It is for Monday morning—and for every other day of the week—because music that truly honors God will help us to live for Him!


Honoring God with Holiness
To accurately assess ourselves in this area of music, we must first address the issue of holiness. The Bible is very clear that God is holy; in other words, He is completely separate from and unlike any other being (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). This holiness affects every attribute you can ascribe to Him. He is holy in His love. He is holy in His righteousness. He is holy in His power. Yet, the Bible says that we, too, must be holy. We are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) and must no longer be conformed to this world (Romans 12:1-2). First Peter 1:14-16 admonishes, “as obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” We have been given a “new song” of deliverance (Psalms 33:3; 68:3) which is full of thankfulness (Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 13:15) and praise (Psalms 96, 98, 100) rather than worldly desires and preoccupations (I John 2:15-16).

If you have any doubts about what kind of music honors God, I strongly encourage you to sit down with an open Bible and an open heart. Look up these verses, read their surrounding contexts, and meditate on them. Then, meditate on the love of Christ displayed at Calvary. Specifically in the area of music, are you willing to say with Paul that the love of Christ constrains you to live no longer for yourself, but “for Him who died and rose again on [your] behalf” (II Corinthians 5:14-15)? With this foundation of God’s holiness in mind, let us turn to some practical issues concerning music in our homes, music in our churches, and music in our culture.

Honoring God with our Music at Home
Music as a mood setter
Perhaps you recall the story of David playing his harp to soothe King Saul’s spirit (I Samuel 16:23). I don’t think this was some uncommon or mysterious effect. I believe that God’s timeless Word has given us an ancient glimpse into a reality that modern science is finally “discovering.” Music has great power! In my research, I came across an interesting modern-day parallel.

Muzak is an American corporation which specializes “in the physiological and psychological effects and applications of music.” They . . . create a "programmed environment for applications in offices, factories, banks and shops.” The key to Muzak's effectiveness is "Stimulus Progression"; a system which provides people with a psychological "lift" - a subconscious sense of forward movement achieved through programming sound in fifteen-minute blocks. Within each of these segments, tunes are ordered from least to most stimulating. The stimulus value of each segment is determined by factors such as tempo, rhythm, instrumentation, and orchestra size. The final, brightest tune is always followed by fifteen minutes of silence, so that most employees will only hear Muzak for half the time that they are working... Research has consistently shown that it increases the work rate of the metabolism; increasing or reducing muscular energy, fatigue, and attention.
—http://media.hyperreal.org/zines/est/articles/muzak.html

In your home, you can use this power of music for your spiritual and even physical advantage. Maybe you have the entire house to clean before company comes—try some rousing Dvorak or Brahms. Maybe you are discouraged about some personal failures—try some choral music with texts that focus on God’s love and greatness. Perhaps the children have been grumpy and fussy all morning—try a children’s CD of character-building music. These are just a few everyday examples. Work at finding some of your own music “medicine!”

Yet don’t forget that this truth works conversely as well. Are you feeling depressed? Perhaps the very kind of music you’re listening to is aggravating that. Are you struggling with wrong attitudes or impure thoughts? Perhaps your music is intensifying those problems without your even knowing it! Finally, dear sisters, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things” (Phil. 4:8).

Music as a teaching tool
One of my college professors frequently repeated the saying, “Things learned in song are remembered long.” Music is a wonderful tool to aid memorization. How did you learn the presidents of the U.S.? I learned them by singing them to “Ten Little Indians.” How about the books of the Bible? Yep! All 66 of them are ingrained in my mind in song—and sometimes I still refer to that song if I have to find Habakkuk or Haggai! But besides teaching factual information, music is invaluable for teaching moral and spiritual lessons. For a prime biblical example of this, study Moses’ song in Deuteronomy 31:30-32:47. When my son was just one, I made up a little song about obeying to help him remember. It was very, very simple, but besides helping him, it reminded me to keep my focus on the priority of teaching him to obey. Why not begin your devotional time by singing a hymn of prayer, end it with a hymn of commitment, or encourage yourself with a hymn by someone who experienced the same struggle you are facing. You can also use music to teach Scripture verses and truths. One great resource is the Psalter section of a hymnal. If you can’t find a particular verse in song, try fitting it to a tune your know, or even making up your own! What more memorable way to get God’s truth into your home than through music!

Music as a discipline
Music is an excellent way to learn and to teach discipline. Music is creative and expressive yet mathematical and exacting. It builds confidence, muscular coordination, and motor skills. Any person can train his mind to listen to music thoughtfully. Even very young children can be taught to discern high and low, fast and slow, repeated rhythms or melodic patterns, and type of mood. Learn an instrument! (It’s never too late!) The autoharp offers a great opportunity for simple accompaniment—even for the non-musician! After hours of concentrated effort in the area of music, you will be able to enjoy the fruit of what comes next, “Music as a diversion!”

Music as a diversion
The next time you need some spice in your life, or perhaps a bit of R&R, give music a try. Here are just a few ideas . . . Attend a recital of your favorite instrument. Host an intimate tea party or coffee and dessert time and enjoy some light, pleasant music in the background. If you’re a musician, invite another musical friend over to play some duets with you. Go to your local music store and glance through the literature for your instrument—most stores offer a separate room where you can try out the music. Or, just sit down and make up a song for someone you love! Children can march around the living room to Sousa, play musical chairs, or chant “Ring Around the Rosy.” The sky is the limit!

Honoring God with our Music at Church
Although the importance of music in worship is dealt with throughout Scripture, I am not going to deal with this subject extensively, but practically and personally. Most of us have little or nothing to do with the actual choosing and scheduling of music for a worship service in our church. We come, sing, listen, and go home. Yet there IS much more to it than that! One of the most blessed aspects of New Testament worship is the priesthood of the individual believer. You say, “Woah! ME? A priest?” Well, biblically, yes. (See I Peter 2:5 and Revelation 1:6 for further explanation.) If you have personally accepted the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrificial work on the cross, you are free to come to God through Christ and no intermediary person is needed. In fact, your very body is God’s temple (I Corinthians 6:19) Thus, you have a truly awesome privilege! You can fill your temple with songs of humble worship and exultant praise. You can fill your temple with songs of petition. Yet, with privilege comes responsibility. Besides our ministry before our God, we are to minister to others “in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with [our] hearts to the Lord; always giving thanks” (Ephesians 5:19-20). I encourage you to assess yourself in this area. The issue is not whether you “can” or cannot” sing. Does your heart resound with the desire to worship God in song? If so, make a joyful noise with all your heart! Secondly, I encourage you to assess your church’s music. Does the music service deliberately glorify God and make Him prominent, or does it focus on making the people feel “good” or “comfortable.” Does the music in the church sound the same as or different from the music in the culture (II Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:17-20; Romans 12:1-2)?

Honoring God in Spite of the Music of our Culture
Two more details entered the scene at the clothing store in central Georgia. First, that the music was very loud, and second, that we had our three-year-old son with us. We needed the slacks (fast!), so leaving wasn’t an option. I decided to kindly ask the sales lady if there was any way she could have the music turned down. I held my breath . . . she said, “Oh, sure, let me go check.” In this case, it was a simple fix! Yet, in 21st century America, the Christian is inevitably going to face undesirable music again and again.

When Christ was about to leave His disciples, He did not pray that God would “take them out of the world,” but that God would “keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15). How can we be “kept” from the world when it comes to music? First, if you have music that needs to be changed, don’t delay. Replace it with God-honoring music. Second, if the world’s music has been ingrained in you, discipline yourself to learn to appreciate God-honoring music. Realize that it will take time to develop new tastes. Accept that you are going to face struggles and even spiritual opposition. You can control the music in your house and your car, but as soon as you walk into the store, the battle is on. You’ll find yourself unconsciously humming along to the tunes you knew so well. When you do, just stop, remind yourself of what you know about God—His holiness and His saving love for you. Pray for courage and set your mind on things above. Perhaps you can do this by quoting a favorite Scripture or singing a hymn. As a last resort, you can politely ask if particularly loud or unseemly music could be turned down or changed. If you find that the music is creating a real struggle in your soul, it may be best to be like wise Joseph and simply “Flee!” Finally, if you are faced with a situation where hearing worldly, sensual music is inescapable, pray for grace to ignore it—that it would go “in one ear and out the other.” Refuse to dwell on it. If words or phrases catch you, immediately bring them under subjection to what the Scripture says. Flight may be impossible, but you can fight with the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-18). It is fit for every spiritual battle, including the battle of music—even on Monday morning!

Sources Consulted:
Fisher, Tim. The Battle For Christian Music. Sacred Music Services: Greenville, SC, 1992.
Osbeck, Kenneth W. The Ministry of Music. (pp. 177-189) Kregel: Grand Rapids, 1961.
Pinner, Jay-Martin and Dianne. Building a Heritage of Music in Our Christian Homes. Unpublished handout: Greenville, SC, 2002.
ESTWeb Articles. “Muzak” http://media.hyperreal.org/zines/est/articles/muzak.html