How Music Forms Us Spiritually
Think back to your favorite concert. Picture the band, the songs they played, and the rush of pure joy as you danced and sang along with 20,000 new friends in the arena. Quite an experience, right? Music has a magical way of evoking emotion, expressing what words cannot, and bringing people together.
We use music to energize us at the gym, entertain us in traffic, and calm us after a long day. Music has also been shown to help improve memory and learning and even ease symptoms of anxiety and depression.
What is it about music that transforms ordinary moments into soul-touching experiences?
Music and the Brain
One explanation for music’s power is the activation of the limbic system, or the set of structures in the brain that control emotion, arousal, and memory. When we listen to music we like, nearly every part of this system lights up, enhancing the emotions we’re feeling. This is why music sometimes “takes our breath away” or gives us “chills.”
Another cool effect is that memories become tied to senses, which explains why hearing an old familiar song brings us right back to where we were when we first heard it or to a treasured memory associated with it. That’s why Christmas music makes us feel nostalgic year after year. In addition, studies have shown that listening to music triggers the release of feel-good neurochemicals like dopamine and oxytocin, which give us a sense of reward and connection to other people. Interestingly, these are also the same chemicals that can be lacking when we’re feeling depressed or anxious.
Music’s Many Uses Throughout Scripture
Music has been an expression of worship since the era of Genesis. In Genesis 4, a descendant of Cain named Jubal was designated “the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes.” The sole focus of Psalms 33 and 95 is to encourage believers to sing, shout, and extol the Lord together with music and song. Paul encourages the Ephesians to be “filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord.” And then in Revelation, we see a glimpse of heaven where the elders and living creatures fall down before the lamb, each of them with a harp, “singing a new song.”
From these verses, we learn that worship through music and singing was designed by God to be a spiritual, communal experience among believers. Through worshipful singing, we glorify God and are strengthened in our faith.
Besides worship, music is also used in Scripture to express and evoke emotion. Job mourned his tremendous losses with music—“My lyre is turned to mourning, and my pipe to the voice of those who weep.” In 1 Samuel, when Saul was troubled by a distressing spirit, he asked David, a skilled harpist, to soothe him with a song. In Jeremiah, too, the Lord tells Israelites that soon they will again “take up their timbrels and go out to dance with the joyful,” and they will “sing with joy for Jacob.”
How Worship Through Music Forms Us Spiritually
Music has the ability to express the whole gamut of emotions. How fascinating is it that two people living vastly different lives can listen to a classical piece of music and experience the same emotions, all without words? Music allows us a universal method of communication not bound by language barriers. English writer and philosopher Aldous Huxley said, “After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.”
By expressing the inexpressible, music plays a special role in spiritual formation for many believers. Led by the Holy Spirit, community worship can be incredibly powerful. Music helps create an atmosphere where we can quiet our minds, leave the world’s distractions behind, and focus on God. Music also prepares our hearts to be receptive to the Spirit’s leading as we consume the Word.
Many people first met Christ at worship services where they were drawn to Him by the words of a song that pierced through their hearts. For more mature believers, the words of scripturally sound songs serve as reminders and even anthems of our faith. They point us back to the Word and the truths within it. For both new and seasoned believers, worship music helps us learn more about Jesus’ character and deepens our relationship with Him.
Worship itself, through music or other ways, reflects God’s glory back to Him. It fosters a heart of gratitude, humility, and dependence within us, which are what we seek when growing in Christ. How might music help you grow in your relationship with God?