There was such an enthusiastic response to my Facebook post of Michael W. Smith’s song, Breathe that I was inspired to write about music this week. Lyrics and melody have the power to lift us up, bow our heads in tears of sadness, and tease out every human emotion in between. From the moment of birth (and before!), we are introduced to music and song. Parents sing lullabies to comfort and soothe and nursery rhymes to delight. Eventually, we belt out the “blues” or sing “halleluiah.” The styles and genres of music are only limited by our imagination.

So, where does this art form of sound fit into faith? The Bible abounds in references to music and song, so I think it is safe to say that in its purest form music is a gift from God. Over and over, Scripture says to sing praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.

In Ephesians 5:19-20, Paul encourage us to “…speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God…”

Did you know that a translation of the Hebrew word “halleluiah” is to throw back your head and open your arms wide in joyful praise of God?

Singing is important to Christians. When we sing, we honor God’s word as we worship and praise Him. When we sing, we lift up those around us and we mirror God’s grace to those who may not yet know Him. When we sing to the Lord, we are led away from sin and we are strengthened against the attacks of the enemy. When we sing, we glorify God, and in so doing, our hearts are filled with an indescribable feeling of joy and grace. So, I say, “just sing!!”

I particularly love to sing while I’m driving. My go-to artists are Casting Crowns and Christy Nockels. The possibilities for accessing Christian music are endless, and I asked my co-leader Emily, who organizes our music ministry, for some tips on adding praise music to your daily routine in your home, your car, or while you are at work.

Thanks to Emily for providing us with the following tips:

“For those of you here locally in Florida simply turning your radio to FM station 88.1 (WAY-FM) or 90.7 (WFLV). You will find some uplifting songs as well as inspirational D.J.’s.

For radio stations outside of Florida this link is helpful:

http://www.christianradio.com/stations/

If you have satellite radio, Sirius channels, 63 Message, 64 Praise, and 65 enLighten all provide a wonderful way to worship through song.

Many different music apps are also available through iTunes, Spotify, and Pandora, to name a few, you can download the music of specific artists you might be looking for. Some are free!

YouTube is one of my favorite ways to find a specific artist.  Not only do you get the music you want, but also the videos are uplifting, and most times include the lyrics. Simply, Google YouTube. In the search bar, type Christian music. For more specific artists, just type in the name of the person or group you are looking for in the search bar.

Some of my favorite artists include Casting Crowns, Christy Nockels, Mercy Me, Third Day, Lauren Daigle, and Kari Jobe.”

Be joyful in the Lord, fill your day with music! Here’s a song to get you started: