Wise Singing (#245 of 365+)

“I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind”
(1 Corinthians 14:15-16)




Earlier in his letter, the apostle Paul admonished believers to use wisdom and honor the Lord by doing things in a way that would be “beneficial” and “constructive” for themselves and the Church (1 Corinthians 10:23 NIV). Although he was primarily addressing activities like eating and drinking—something his Corinthian readers did with gusto—the message to edify the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:23 NASB) and to engage the mind (today’s verse) can apply to anything else I might want to do.

Joni said singing hymns and praise songs can be a mindless exercise for her if she gets carried away by the music or when she focuses on hitting the harmony notes and doesn’t pay attention to the lyrics. Doing that can quickly turn a worship service into a ritual or a routine instead of the meaningful experience it’s supposed to be.

That reminds me of when I was in college and I toured with a church youth choir and band during the summer. We must have rehearsed those songs thousands of times over three or four months until we could sing them without thinking—and that’s exactly what we started doing after awhile. We’d wear our matching outfits and smiles, put ourselves on autopilot, and perform every night at a different locale. Not a single person accepted Christ until a few of us started feeling convicted about it. We prayed for God to keep our minds alert during those services and show us what he wanted us to do.

One afternoon we performed in the pavilion of a large public park. I tried to remain prayerful and thoughtful as I sang my heart out. Then, during the entire second half of the concert, I couldn’t shake the urge to talk to a group of kids who were sitting on a fence hundreds of yards away. After the concert was over and everyone was standing around talking, my friend Dustin (who felt the same prompting from the Spirit) and I walked over and introduced ourselves. I felt drawn to speak with one girl in particular so I told her without hesitation, “This might sound crazy but God told me to come all the way over here and tell you that he loves you.” Immediately her walls came tumbling down. She whispered a tearful confession that earlier in the week she had discovered she was pregnant and had prayed for God to show her what to do.

If I had allowed myself to once again disengage from what was happening around me, I would have missed out on being used by the Spirit and blessing someone else in a big way. It taught me that everything I do can have a lasting impact and I should ask myself more often: Does this mindless activity honor the Lord and ‘edify’ the body of Christ?

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30)

Lord, help me to use my all to do more good things for your kingdom. Amen.