Two great purposes for godly music are to glorify God and to encourage His people. Godly music provides a means of recognizing God for all He has done and will do for His people and also encourages God’s people, bringing peace of mind so that they can better believe and claim His promises. Let’s see this in the Scriptures.
Songs are noted in the Scriptures as a means of remembering the great things God did for His people and to thank Him for His love, power, deliverance, care, and abundance. After the Lord saved Israel from the Egyptians who pursued them into the Red Sea, Moses and the children of Israel sang a song recounting God’s triumph for His people.
Exodus 15:1,2,4,11:
Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea.
Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
Whenever this song was sung, the people would be reminded of how God brought the victory for them, and they would be encouraged to look to Him and believe His promises.
Think of some of the great hymns we sing in our home fellowships: “To God Be the Glory,” “Now Thank We All Our God,” and “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” We can sing these godly hymns to remind ourselves of the great things our Father has done for us, of our redemption and new life through Christ, of our victory over the spirit realm, and of the abundant lives we live.
In the Hebrew language, “Psalms” means “Songs of praise” or “Praises.” In the Book of Psalms, the writers sang praise to the name of the Lord most high (Ps 7:17), declared His doings (Ps 9:11), said He dealt bountifully with them (Ps 13:6), gave thanks at the remembrance of His holiness (Ps 30:4), said God would compass them about with songs of deliverance (Ps 32:7), and said He had put a new song in their mouth (Ps 40:3). They recognized God’s power, mercy, defense, and refuge (Ps 59:16). They sang praise to His name that they might daily perform their vows (Ps 61:8). They honored His name (Ps 66:2), magnified Him with thanksgiving (Ps 69:30), and said they would sing unto the Lord as long as they lived (Ps 104:33). What wonderful examples of believers recognizing God’s great hand on their lives. We remind ourselves of the same when we sing Word-filled Christian songs, and we are encouraged to believe that God will supply all our need.
In records in God’s Word, music brought peace of mind and helped God’s people believe the Word. In a stressful situation in which the Prophet Elisha was asked to give guidance to three kings, he called for a minstrel to play music.
II Kings 3:15,16:
But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him.
And he said, Thus saith the Lord….
The minstrel’s music playing helped Elisha believe to receive revelation from God. Then he was able to carry out the will of the Lord. The Founding President of The Way International, Dr. Victor Paul Wierwille, taught that “the greatest cargoes of our spiritual life come in over our quiet inner seas.” As we have peace on the inside, it helps us believe to claim God’s promises and experience the abundance He desires for us. Music written and performed with the love of God can help bring peace of mind, and it can encourage the listener to believe God.
Music in Bible times was a means of remembering the great things God had done for His people, and it brought peace of mind, helping His people to believe the Word. Godly music also helps us recognize and honor God for all He has done and will do for us, and it encourages us to believe and claim His promises. Let’s enjoy listening to or singing godly music, being thankful to our heavenly Father and believing to receive His bountiful blessings!