Season 5 - Episode 34
To listen to an audio version of this post, visit www.covenantchurch.ca/podcasts/covenant-weekly.
When it comes to music, I am not a stick-in-the-mud. I have genres and sounds that I prefer, but I have an appreciation for a wide variety of music. I was raised in a church environment that generally demeaned (or demonized) secular music or “rock and roll,” but there is a lot of that music I have come to deeply enjoy! But, when push comes to shove, when I’m down and out, when the weight of the world washes over me, it is deep songs of faith that fill my heart and shape my prayers. I got to thinking about the songs we sing when reading about Paul and Silas in the Philippian prison. When they were at their lowest, they leaned into praying and singing hymns (Acts 16:25). I want to encourage you to think about what kind of songs you sing during this brief Covenant Weekly for April 28, 2026.
There is something about music that touches many of us more deeply than almost anything else. When reading about the breath of God forming and filling the universe in Genesis 1, it would be reasonable to read it as God singing over the surface of the deep. Many acts of rescue in the early chapters of scripture are accompanied by songs of celebration. When King Saul was troubled, the solution was to bring the harpist and singer to him. The scribes of Israel toiled over the collecting and editing of 150 Psalms for various parts of their religious, social, and political life together.
When we get to the New Testament, it is these songs that Jesus, his disciples, and eventually Paul would have known best. So when we read about Paul and Silas singing hymns in the jail it is likely that most of those songs were ones we have access to. Songs of praise and confidence, despite their situation. Songs of hope and deliverance. Songs of peace and encouragement.
From Psalm 20
1 May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and grant you support from Zion.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
From Psalm 18
1 I love you, Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
6 In my distress I called to the Lord;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.
7 The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
46 The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be God my Saviour!
From Psalm 4
1 Answer me when I call to you,
my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
8 In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, Lord,
make me dwell in safety.
From Psalm 37
1 Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
In addition to these deeply encouraging ancient songs, it seems that the New Testament church was active in composing new songs that highlighted the centrality of Jesus. And Paul references some of these songs in his letters.
In Colossians 1 the song reminds them of the power of Jesus:
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
Philippians 2 combines a reflection on Jesus’ authority with our surrender:
6 [Christ Jesus] Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
2 Timothy 2 reflects on a hope beyond current circumstances
If we died with him,
we will also live with him;
12 if we endure,
we will also reign with him.
If we disown him,
he will also disown us;
13 if we are faithless,
he remains faithful,
for he cannot disown himself.
And I suspect that even some of the songs in the book of Revelation, presented as the songs of angels and elders, are songs that were sung by early followers of the way.
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”
Those who are involved in our music teams know that I can get kind of annoying about the songs we sing. Actually…only Brent and my family really know how annoying I can be about the songs we sing because I don’t express all of my thoughts to others involved in music. But the reason I’m annoying about it is that I believe the songs we sing are among the primary things that shape what we come to believe about God, about ourselves, and about the Christian life. For example, if the songs we sing place ourselves at the centre of the story, we can start to believe it. Whereas if songs we sing centre Jesus in the story and have us joining in as active partners in his work in the world, our perspective changes. If the songs we sing focus on God’s wrath and talk about how vile humanity is, we are shaped differently than if the songs we sing focus on God’s love, grace, and reconciliation. If the songs we sing point us to some otherworldly heaven in the sky and the destruction of this world, it can lead us to thinking this world is not important. But if the songs we sing focus on the restoration and rescue of this world and the idea that God’s dwelling place will be with humanity…on a redeemed earth, our approach to the physical world we’ve been entrusted with changes. So I think deeply about the songs we sing and how they shape us.
I encourage you to do the same. Maybe not in a way that is as picky or annoying as the way I do. But maybe not singing a song just because it has a catchy melody or hook. Not grabbing a hold of a song because you like one lyric or because it is getting a lot of airplay on the Christian radio station. Rather, we should test songs against the teaching, work, and message of Jesus. And then, don’t be afraid to put the really solid songs on the smart speaker at home so that you can learn them well and have the messages go deep, so that when you find yourself in troubles, they can be a source of life and light and encouragement.
The truth is there will be very few things (if any) that I say from the front that you will remember. But some of the songs you learn will be with you for the rest of your life. That is good and beautiful…if you’re singing the right songs - the songs that help us imagine true kingdom life, remind us that God is with us no matter what we are going through, give voice to our pain, and point to a hope beyond our current troubles.
I’d love to know. What songs do this for you? (Note…these don’t need to be “worship songs” that we sing in church! Many of my favourites are not.) I’ve left the comments open on the blog on our website to give us a chance to share these songs with each other.