Why Don’t We Sing First?
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Why daily singing to God may be the most overlooked pathway to spiritual renewal — and how to start again.
One of the things I love most about our relationship with God is this:
We can sing to Him.
Not just our love and adoration — but our frustration, grief, despair, and hope. Music carries the full weight of the human heart. And somehow, God meets us personally in that place.
He doesn’t just tolerate our singing.
He welcomes it.
As someone who has taught on worship for many years, I keep coming back to one passage that underscores the power of song:
Colossians 3:16.
Right after Paul commands believers to let the peace of Christ rule their hearts — and just before he urges them to honor Christ in everything they do — he gives a fascinating instruction:
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…
as you speak… and as you sing.
Two adverbs.
Two pathways.
One purpose.
We often focus on the speaking part — teaching, exhorting, instructing. Then we tack on singing as an afterthought.
“Oh yes… and sing too.”
But Paul doesn’t treat singing as an add-on.
He places it right alongside speaking because it does something different.
Speaking places truth in our minds.
Singing plants it into our hearts.
It moves from intellect to emotion… from understanding to transformation… from head to soul.
My friends at The Worship Initiative understand this deeply. They recently launched a daily morning rhythm called the Sing Devo — which you can explore at The Worship Initiative: https://sing.theworshipinitiative.com It’s a simple but powerful way to begin the day.
Each episode includes:
- Encouragement and prayer
- A moment to rest in the Holy Spirit
- The chorus of a worship song
- Teaching about its scriptural or historical roots
- And an invitation to sing along
I’ve been using it for a few weeks now, and I can tell you honestly:
It has reshaped the atmosphere of my mornings.
It also reminded me of something I heard decades ago.
At an early Promise Keepers rally in Colorado, Jack Hayford shared a simple acrostic built around the word PRAISE — a daily worship practice he used to begin each morning:
P – Present yourself to God
R – Raise your hands in surrender
A – Affirm your love and devotion
I – Invite the Holy Spirit’s control
S – Sing out loud whatever He brings to mind
E – Express thanks for what He will do
Of all those steps, one stood out most to me:
Sing.
How many of us begin our day that way?
How many of us sing to the Lord at all — outside of a Sunday gathering?
Years ago, I captured a glimpse of this kind of morning worship in a simple video built around one of my original songs.
It’s not polished or staged — just an honest picture of what it looks like to sing to the Lord in everyday life.
Let’s be honest:
Most of us sing only when the lights dim, the band starts, and lyrics appear on a screen.
But worship was never meant to live only on a stage.
It was meant to live in our daily rhythms.
We sing to God when we want to express complete connection to His heart.
So here’s a simple guide to rediscovering that habit.
A Simple Way to Start Singing Again
- Keep it simple.
Don’t overthink it.
Sing the song already in your heart — or turn on something like the Sing Devo. Grab a hymnal (and if you don’t have one, grab the Sing! Hymnal from Getty Music: https://www.gettymusic.store/products/the-sing-hymnal
God isn’t grading your performance.
He’s welcoming your presence.
- Find a quiet place.
Step away where it’s just you and Him.
Because what He wants most isn’t volume — it’s honesty.
(And your family will probably appreciate the quiet too.)
- Don’t worry about quality.
He created your voice.
He already knows exactly what you sound like.
And He loves it — because it’s yours.
- Linger long enough to listen.
Singing isn’t just expression.
It’s also invitation – an invitation to linger until the Spirit speaks.
Stay long enough for the indwelling Holy Spirit to speak clearly into your heart — through His Word (the written vocabulary He uses so you can verify it truly is His voice; see John 16:12–14), through the shalom of His peace, through nature, or sometimes through something deeply personal.
- Remember this:
He’s singing too.
Zephaniah 3:17 tells us the Lord rejoices over us with singing.
Think about that:
The God of the universe sings over you.
So when you sing to Him…
You’re joining a duet.
I can’t remember many mornings of my childhood when I didn’t hear my mother singing somewhere in the house — in the kitchen, the living room, out on the porch.
It was the overflow of time spent with God.
Her conversations with Him turned into songs.
And those songs left a mark on me that still remains today.
Because here’s the truth:
Singing to the Lord doesn’t just change a moment.
It shapes a life.
Maybe it’s time we started singing first again.
Maybe tomorrow morning could begin differently.
Before the noise. Before the schedule. Before the worries.
Just you… and a song… and the God who is already singing over you.
Want to try the Sing Devo?
Click below to learn more and begin your mornings with a new rhythm of worship. https://sing.theworshipinitiative.com