My dad was a good man, one of the best men I have ever met.
He had a grade-six education, but that didn’t stop him from living a successful life as a plumber. His hands were often soiled, his pants spotted with used soldering wire and ABS glue, and his boots covered in dirt. He rarely, if ever, combed his hair; he had little time for such things. He wore a cowboy hat and poncho in honour of his favourite cowboy, Clint Eastwood.
He worked hard. He was honest, kind, and generous to those in need. Men and women liked him; kids adored him.
He was as comfortable with his Winchester 30-30 or a chainsaw in his hands as he was with his Bible.
He loved my mom, us kids, and his dog. Mostly, he was devoted to Jesus Christ.
I remember growing up going to church with him. He always participated in every aspect of the service. He would bow his head at every prayer. He would have his Bible open during every sermon. He would give generously.
And he would sing.
He didn’t have an extraordinary singing voice, but that did not keep him from raising his voice in song. Whether it was an old hymn or a newly written chorus, he was all in.
It can be hard for men to engage in the singing part of worship. They can be more likely to “leave that to the women and children.”
Is that a correct response? Does that honour our Master, Jesus?
I have been a worship leader for over forty years. I have seen men who engage in worship singing as well as men who don’t.
Why might men be hesitant or unwilling to sing?
There are a few possible reasons.
Maybe the songs are pitched in a key that is difficult to sing in.
Maybe the words seem a bit more effeminate than a man is comfortable with.
Maybe they are unfamiliar with the newest tune.
Maybe they don’t have a great singing voice.
These are good reasons—but are they good enough?
In contrast, there are actually great reasons to sing.
An article in Healthline noted ten health benefits of singing, including relieving stress, improving lung function, and even increasing pain threshold. Great things happen in our bodies when we sing!
There are actually great reasons to sing.
But I don’t think any of those health reasons were playing in my dad’s head when he sang in worship.
I think his main motivator was obedience to God’s Word.
Matt Boswell notes that singing is mentioned over 400 times in the Bible and explicitly commanded over 50 times.
Israel sang (Exodus 15:1-21).
King David sang (2 Samuel 22:1-51).
Worshippers at the Temple sang (2 Chronicles 5:13-14).
Jesus and His disciples sang (Mark 14:26).
Paul and his coworkers sang (Acts 16:25).
The early Church sang (Colossians 3:16).
The elders and the four living creatures in heaven sang (Revelation 5:8-10).
Once, the Israelites even put singers at the front of the army to sing as they marched into battle (2 Chronicles 20:21-22).
How can we not sing?
I was a worship pastor for most of my career and, in some ways, made my living by singing. But then an interesting thing happened to me: I got sick. Real sick. My kidneys failed, and I was also diagnosed with stress and anxiety disorder. I wasn’t doing well at all. This illness was at its worst for about five years.
One of the things I lost in that season of sickness was my singing voice; I couldn’t physically sing anymore. I lost most of my range and all of my energy. That was a very difficult time for me. But I learned something very valuable.
I learned to listen to the singing voices of others. Just like I used to listen to my dad sing, I began to tune into the voices of those around me.
I heard the old couple who had been following Jesus for most of their lives. Their voices weren’t spectacular, sometimes not even in tune, but they sang with humility and joy.
I heard the voice of the young woman who sang like an angel. I was able to give thanks to God for gifting someone with such a beautiful treasure.
I heard the community raising their voices in unity. No one was better than anyone else. We sang our songs together—an excellent metaphor for what our Christian lives needed to look like as we lived our faith together.
Sometimes, I have noticed men who don’t sing. Maybe they had physical reasons like me. I can’t judge their hearts, but their body language indicated they weren’t participating at all in worship. Their facial expressions were bland, their hands were in their pockets, and they looked bored out of their minds. They looked like they were miles away, imagining how they might build a deck on the back of their house or tune up the engine in their old Ford.
I tried to imagine what they would do if their favourite sports hero walked into the room. Would they still be as bored? Would they still be wishing they were somewhere else? Or would their faces betray the excitement they were experiencing?
The Bible tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). It also tells us that when two or three are gathered together in His Name, Jesus is there (Matthew 18:20).
That means that during our worship times, Jesus is in the room.
Jesus, who rose from the dead, is with us.
Why don’t our faces, bodies, and voices show that we believe that is true?
Brothers, the King is in the room. Let’s lift up our voices in song. Let’s praise Him for what He deserves!
It is not about us, our image, or our pride; it is always and only about Jesus.
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