Music's Intended Purpose

Music was made to serve a holy purpose, to lift the thoughts to that which is pure, noble, and elevating, and to awaken in the soul devotion and gratitude to God. What a contrast between the ancient custom and the uses to which music is now too often devoted! How many employ this gift to exalt self, instead of using it to glorify God! *1

Music was created to worship God, not ourselves. How wonderful is our God to have created this type of expression to help us worship him better. But this world uses so many things our Lord created for the wrong reasons.

In heaven, Angels are in constant worship. The word of God says:

Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."*2

Now if Angels, beings that are perfect and without sin, know that music is used to worship God and never cease to stop their praise, how much more should we as fallen creatures use music to its highest potential to worship the one and only God!

Throughout the bible we see example after example of people who show their appreciation and gratitude in their praise using music. One of the primary examples being David who never feared to break out in song and lift his adoration for God using his harp:

Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD. *3

There are many different uses music gives us as we worship our God. We can use it to memorize God’s word. It also lifts our spirit and raises our eyes to the heavens. The Lord’s servant says:

There are few means more effective for fixing His words in the memory than repeating them in song. And such song has wonderful power. It has power to subdue rude and uncultivated natures, power to quicken thought and to awaken sympathy, to promote harmony of action, and to banish the gloom and foreboding that destroy courage and weaken effort.--Ed 167, 168 (1903).

Music forms a part of God's worship in the courts above, and we should endeavor in our songs of praise to approach as nearly as possible to the harmony of the heavenly choirs…*4

Let us remember that our heavenly father is worthy of all praise and when he returns, we will use music as he created it to be used, to worship him forever and ever.

“You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.” – James 5:8

*1 – “Messages to Young People”, “The Benefits of Music”, Ellen White
*2 – Revelation 4:8
*3 – Psalms 150:1-5
*4 – “Last Day Events”, “Lifestyle and Activities of the Remnant”, Ellen White
*5 - Image: http://www.clipartguide.com/_pages/0808-0801-1116-0545.html

*SGL