Once, I had a sweet little girl sing a song to me that she “wrote.” It was a praise song to Jesus. It was simple yet profound. And, she sang with such child-like faith that I knew the Lord was listening with a smile. I was reminded of Psalm 8:2 which says, “Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.“(ESV) Wow! God uses the praise of children to establish His strength and still the enemy!
It’s a great idea to get our children involved in the music ministry – singing for Jesus, establishing His strength, and silencing the enemy. But children are so… well, child-like! What if they don’t sing the song perfectly? Or, what if they don’t stand still on the stage? They do like to wiggle around, don’t they? But God’s Word says that their praise silences the enemy. So, let’s jump in and get them singing!
There are so many great accompaniment tracks available for children – songs that lift up praise to the Lord and proclaim truth. If you have a child that has a musical interest, help them to begin to develop that talent. Find a track and allow them to sing. Get them involved in a children’s choir to give those vocal cords exercise and opportunity. Or, how about this? Pick a song that the two of you can sing together.
Recently, two different singers in my church had one of their children sing with them when they sang the special music in the Sunday morning service. A mom and daughter sang together, and a couple of weeks later, a mom and son sang a duet. The songs they chose weren’t specifically written for children or even for a duet. During both the duets, they alternated solos on the verses and sang together on the chorus. They even added in a little simple harmony, and both songs were so sweet. Not only did it bless the congregation, but what a blessing it was to those children – to be encouraged to use those young voices for Jesus and to begin to get experience doing that.
If there is a child that has some musical ability, keep them in mind the next time you’re searching for a new song to sing. Choose a song that you are comfortable with then invite your daughter or son to join in with you to sing. Give them the opportunity to sing a verse or just sing along with you on part of the song. Let’s get our children involved in the music ministry and encourage them to use the musical gifts that God has given them for His honor and glory.