I love to sing songs to God in church. Not all songs, certainly, and not all verses/refrains in any particular song. I feel very strongly about meaning what I say, and sometimes I stop singing when I’m not quite sure I’m on board with a line or two in a worship song.

In particular, some songs bring up a lot of tension for me as an introvert. They may have their root in scripture (or they may not), but I have some difficulty singing them if they haven’t been contextualized for our modern day and if they seem rather extroverted on first look.

Verses like:

Shout it, go on and scream it from the mountains, go on and tell it to the masses…

I’m not one to really shout anything, let alone matters related to faith. But when I consider the heart behind this song and the way I’ve been uniquely crafted by God, I understand more my own part in this whole thing. And with that in mind I can sing the lyrics above without any angst. God only asks me to join in his purposes as me, to help hurting people in my own introverted way, which generally means quiet, thoughtful, caring conversation.

Music in church is meant to help us connect to the divine. To express our love for God and to feel the love of God toward us. God doesn’t need our songs but delights in hearing them when they are expressed in love and honesty. May you and I discover the underlying message in the lyrics we sing, and may we find the freedom to sing or refrain from singing according to the truth and love within us.

 

Photo by Chad Kirchoff from Pexels