Monthly Articles

Vocal Coach - June ‘09

For the last couple of months I have been writing about a couple of different aspects of the voice that I felt like I should write about. For several months prior to those two articles I wrote about SINGING IN THE BIBLE. I would like to get back to that topic for this month.

This month I would like to write about OBJECTS OF SINGING IN THE BIBLE. I am convinced that if we keep our focus on the object of our affection (God), and sing about His different attributes we will be ministering to every one that we sing to. We begin this month’s article speaking of singing about GOD’S POWER. Of course everyone who has ever been to Sunday School has heard about GOD’S OMNIPOTENCE. He is indeed ALL POWERFUL. Many of our gospel songs have been written about this topic. Let’s go to the Bible and find a couple of scriptures that set a precedence for lifting up the message of GOD’S OMNIPOTENCE

Let us begin with King David’s declaration of God’s omnipotence by singing, noted in Psalm59 verses 16& 17. David of course was a noted musician in the Bible. He was called . “A man after God’s own heart”. We all know that King Saul would call on David to play the harp for him and soothe his troubled soul, but in Psalm 59:16-17 David speaks of himself as singing about the Lord. Here he sets forth a sevenfold praise to God in Singing.

First let me say that all of our songs should bring praise to God. If they don’t we can not call them Gospel Songs or Good News Songs, which Gospel actually means. THE GOOD NEWS IS ALL ABOUT GOD AND HIS GREATNESS, AS WELL AS HIM SENDING HIS SON JESUS AS A SACRIFICE FOR OUR SINS. Having said this let’s look at David’s powerful message to us here about how we should sing and what we derive from singing the way God wants us to sing.

There are seven different things that David says about singing in these two verses. Notice the perfect number seven is the number of things that David said about singing to the Lord.

1. “I will sing of your Power” The one thing that we all need to know today is that singing about God’s power should be among the top things we think about, when writing a song, or when picking a song to sing. Does the song you sing or write actually say something that gives all of the glory to God, or does the song you sing or write talk more about you. There have been some songs that I have heard ,over the years, sung by Gospel Singers that actually say more about man, and often about the individual singing or writing the song, than they do about the POWER OF GOD. I know that after reading this little sentence, that some of you will think that I have never heard a song in Gospel Music that was self promoting over being God promoting. I believe that if forced to I could pick out several, however, in my effort to write to everyone, and not to bring offense to anyone, I will not name any songs. I am sure that each one of you could think of at least one song that talks more about the writer or singer than it does THE POWER OF GOD.
I believe this scripture is explicit in its mandate and that is David said “I will sing of thy power”.

Therefore our songs should be written and sung about God and His grace, mercy and Power.

2. “I will sing aloud of your mercy in the morning” As I have just stated that songs we write and sing should be about God and His great Power. Here in this passage of scripture David addresses another facet of God’s greatness and that is His mercy. This sentence addresses the fact that our songs should be written and sung about God’s mercy also. To me this ads to the point that I have just made. All our songs should be about God and his attributes, such as His Mercy. Mercy in the Hebrew means: “ favor, good deed, kindness, merciful kindness, and pity”. God in his mercy looked down on us with favor, kindness and pity and sent Jesus to die for our sins. Songs that talk about us more than they do about God are definitely not what David had in mind here in this Psalm. Everything in these two verses points to our singing about God and unto God.

3. “Thou hast been my defense” Here David begins to tell God why he is singing about God’s great Power and Mercy. First God has the power to come to your defense in all situations. When Satan confronts you with some of his tactics for tearing you down and destroying you, GOD STEPS IN! HALLELUJAH! Because of God’s omnipotence, and omnipresence, HE IS ABLE TO BE YOUR DEFENSE. Just like He did for David, He will do for you. Here in this passage of scripture, David is confirming that very thought. Yes “ It is no Secret What God can Do”. When the devil attacks you in your body, mind or spirit, begin to sing about God’s power and mercy. God will come to your defense, and He will be your defense. In the words of one great gospel song , “He Will Never Let you Down”.

4. “You have been my refuge in trouble” I think that we see a pattern in David’s praise toward God. God is our refuge in troubled times. I believe that our nation is going through one of the most troubled eras that I have seen in my lifetime. I believe that if we sing of God’s Power, and His great mercy, He will be our defense and deliverance. I also believe that the message should always be that message of His Power, Mercy, Defense, Refuge ,and strength. The very idea of a refuge is that it is a place we can go when our burdens are too much to bear. That’s Our God. It is time for America to seek God. Especially the Church. By the Church I mean all denominations. We should take the Bible for what it says and stand firmly on that. In our nation today we see a movement of secularism. People are trying to circumvent the Word of God and put people in the pulpits of some churches that are living an open life of what the Bible calls sin.

I think we need an old fashioned revival to sweep the land. If the Bible says something is a sin, then it is a sin. The Bible also tells us that God sent Jesus to die on the cross to shed His blood that all of us can be forgiven. I believe that God is a God of forgiveness and love, but I believe that God loves the sinner, but that He hates the sin. I believe that if anyone comes to Him and asks forgiveness, He will forgive them through His great power and mercy. But let’s get real. God would not have mentioned certain things in the word as sin, if He didn’t mean it. God wants to be our refuge in the time of trouble. I must say that He will not be if we deliberately are sinning against Him. He mentions a number of sins in the first chapter of Romans that will drive us away from Him to a place where He will not be our refuge. Many of these things are creeping into the Church today. WE ALL NEED TO PRAY FOR A GOOD OLD FASHIONED REVIVAL IN ALL CHURCHES. If we see that revival come, then we will all be able to sing about God’s power, mercy, defense, and being our refuge in time of trouble, and sing it from the heart.

5. “I will sing to you My Strength” God is our strength and we can lean upon Him in these troubled times. I just mentioned the problems that I see in the church today. There are a myriad of problems in our society and in the world, that could use God’s strength, to overcome them, if the world could see who God is and turn to Him. That is why I believe so strongly that we must sing our songs about God’s power, mercy, defense, being our refuge, and strength. I can talk a long time on how to technically sing correctly, and we must prepare ourselves to be the very best that we can for our Lord. However, you can be the greatest singer in the world, have all of the training, and be able to sing louder, longer, more correctly and all of those things, but if you forget the God of your strength, who made those wonderful vocal cords that you have, and you forget His power, mercy, defense, refuge, and strength. All of what you do is as “Sounding brass and tinkling Cymbals”. Make God your strength and sing for Him, about Him, and to Him and you will experience something that you have never experienced before.

6. “You are my defense” This must be extremely important because David actually addresses it two times in these verses. The first time David said “Thou hast been my defense”. In other words God you have defended me all along. But now David says “You are my Defense” . David brings the actions of God from the past tense to the present tense. In other words God will not ever let me down. He has defended me in the past, and He is defending me now. What a great tribute to God who never lets you down. This makes me believe that David is trying to get us to see that we can sing “ The Old Rugged Cross” which addresses God’s defending us in the past. Then we can turn right around and sing “The Old Rugged Cross Made the Difference in Me” which is about the power of God sweeping down through the ages to minister mercy, grace, love, and forgiveness to you and I. Praise God He is my defense.

7. “You are the God of my Mercy” It is again notable that David addresses God being the God of Mercy again before he concludes this little message to us about the way he sings, and why he sings. Paul Jackson has written a great song about God’s Mercy. It edifies God and not man, it is on the new Prophets Album. I believe that it is a song, ordained of God, and written from the heart of a man who has experienced that great mercy. That is why it is so powerful.

If it wasn’t for God’s mercy. We would all be lost without a Savior. I believe that David expresses the fact very well in these two verses, that God is a great and wonderful God with Power, Mercy, Defense, Refuge, and Strength for those who will choose to walk with Him. Since David made it his priority to write and sing about God and not solely about himself, I believe that we today should do no less.

May God richly bless all of you. Remember Psalm 118:6 says: “The Lord is on my Side”, He is on your side too. Until next time.

In Christian Love to All

Bill Baize