Sacred Music As Prayer

By George W. Campbell
Past President
Association of Disciples Musicians

Whether it is a Saturday night praise service or Sunday morning traditional service, music and prayer are part of the experience. Music is a vital part of worship, and remembered more vividly than other elements. Sacred music is vital to our approach to God.

There are many types of private and public prayer. But seldom does prayer take the form of music for the average person. Yet they are coupled together frequently in the Bible. In the Upper Room, there was prayer for the elements, followed by a hymn. While in jail at Philippi, Paul and Silas sang their prayers at midnight.

Thus, sacred music directed to God is a vital part of our worship. In corporate worship, music consumes up to 80% of the time, including hymns of praise, prayer, communion and invitation. Add a choral anthem, solo, organ or instrumental offering and it affirms that music is essential to corporate worship.

Music also contributes to the individual Christian. "Whatever people can say with passion and in heightened speech they will end up singing in some form," wrote Don Sailers in his chapter in Practicing Our Faith, a book that set the practice of "singing our lives to God" in the company of eleven other life-giving practices. Thus, sacred music becomes our personal prayer to God.

Ways to sing our prayers come to mind. Hymnals provide a source for singing prayer hymns. Two arrangements of the 'Lord's Prayer' are in the Chalice Hymnal. Attentive listening to sacred music provides another method of bringing our praise of God into our worship. Using quiet meditative music is another way to worship God in prayer. Singing the Psalms brings countless biblical prayers to God. Silence is a creative way to practice the art of listening for God's response to our prayer song.

Prayer:

God of creation, hear the song of our heart, as we glorify You and make melody with our lives in harmony with your mission. Grant that the discords of our life be graced with Your note of forgiveness. Help us to stay in tune with your purpose and hear our voice joining the faithful choir as we sing our prayer in the name of Christ we pray. Amen.