16c Singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
The singing of Christians ought to rise from their hearts unto the Lord. It cannot be heartless singing. Our sacred songs ought to be the vocal expressions of our inner devotion to the Lord. David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, once said, “I will praise thee with my whole heart” (Psalm 138:1). Heartfelt singing must characterise all our singing of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.
We sing not to show off our voices, singing techniques or abilities. We sing to communicate. Earlier in this verse, we were taught that our psalms, hymns and spiritual songs are for teaching and admonishing one another. So when we sing, our voices must express our heartfelt messages to one another. We sing not to entertain, but to edify one another. We also sing to express our heartfelt gratitude and worship to God.
When we sing, it is necessary to pay attention to the melody of the song and our rendition of it. However, our singing will be in vain if we do not sing it from our hearts with genuine feelings and understanding. The point that must not be ignored is this: our songs must be sung in a thankful spirit. The songs must be poured forth sincerely, rising from the humble and grateful hearts of believers. Let our singing be a very effective vehicle for the outpouring of our confession of sins, gratitude, faith, consecration, and joy before the Lord.
Hearty Christian singing can only be possible when our understanding is filled with the working of God’s grace in our lives. An understanding of God’s grace reminds singers that their salvation and all other blessings are not of themselves but from the gracious God who bestowed them freely. There is no room for self-praise, ambition, or high-mindedness when we sing with an awareness of His grace. Only when we sing with full understanding of the grace that is bestowed upon us can we genuinely sing praises to God.
Whether we sing with the congregation in the regular worship service on the Lord’s Day, in a mid-week meeting, in a fellowship gathering, in family worship, or privately, let us sing from our hearts to promote the glory of our gracious God. When we are totally dedicated to grow and serve in the beauty of His grace, our hearts shall render their songs to His glory. Let us sing “for the praise of the glory of his grace” (Ephesians 1:6).