Have you ever wondered why we sing some of the songs we sing on Sunday mornings? Is it because they play it on the radio? Are we just trying to be modern? Is it just one of the worship pastor’s favorite songs? Maybe you’ve never given any thought to it at all.
Well, I thought I’d pull back the curtain a little bit and let you in on why we sing the songs we do on Sunday mornings. While there are many factors to consider, by far the most important is the content of the song. This is one of the parts of my job that I take most seriously.
When I choose a song for the congregation to sing, I’m essentially giving them words to sing to the Lord. That’s a pretty heavy responsibility.
So, while I listen to a lot of worship music, only the select few actually end up making the cut.
Let’s look at the song “Who You Say I Am” by Hillsong worship to get a better understanding of why we sing it. There is so much to like about this song, but let’s start with the chorus. The words to the chorus of this song are:
Who the Son sets free, oh is free indeed.
I’m a child of God. Yes, I Am.
In my Father’s house, there’s a place for me.
I’m a child of God. Yes, I am.
The power of those words hits home to me immediately. We’ve been set free in Christ. John 8:36 says, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Free from our sins, free from our pasts, free from our hurts and brokenness. Not only are we free, but in Christ, we have become children of God.
John 1:12 says, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” That changes our entire identity.
We are no longer defined by what we do or what we’ve done, but by whose we are! Even more, our father longs to be with us. The end of that chorus says that in his house there is a place for us.
In John 14 Jesus reminds his disciples that his Father’s house has many rooms and that he is going there to prepare a place for them that they might be where He is. God wants to be with us and has prepared a place for us! I don’t know about you, but I think that’s worth singing about!
In case you were wondering, none of who you are in Christ is an accident. The bridge of this song says, “I am chosen, not forsaken.” You and I were chosen before the foundation of the world to be children of the King. He didn’t choose us just to leave us on our own. We are not forsaken! Psalm 94:14 says, “For the Lord will not abandon His people.”
Not only that but He is also for us. The bridge of the song closes by saying, “You are for me, not against me.” What an incredible thought. The God of the universe is on our side. He is working for us! Paul declares in Romans 8, “If God is for us who can be against us?”
So today remember that we have been made completely free. We have been made children of God, and He longs to be with us. We have been chosen for a purpose. Our Father dearly loves us and fights for us. Remember all of that, make it your own, and remember why we sing!