Sing Baby Sing!

People redeemed by Jesus have countless reasons to sing, but here are a few more. Singing is like chocolate without the calories. It releases the same endorphins as you might get from a hefty dose of dark chocolate. According to researchers, that’s not the only benefit.
 
Singing is a workout for the muscles that physiologists call the “Core.” Done correctly it strengthens the back and improves overall posture. People who sing regularly are less likely to snore because their throat and pallet muscles are in better condition. Heart and lung function increases during singing, oxygenating the blood, improving mental acuity and reducing the levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
 
Researchers have discovered that singing stimulates the sacculus in our inner ear in a way that produces feelings of pleasure. It doesn’t even matter what the singing sounds like … so there’s hope for us all. The University of Frankfurt tested choristers after an hour of rigorous singing and discovered that they had significantly elevated levels of proteins which are vital to a healthy immune system. They tested the same group after simply listening to music and the effect was not produced. The lesson here is that you must participate to enjoy the benefits. It’s as if we were created to sing and benefit from singing.
 
I thought of how often the psalmists said, “I will sing.” Over thirty times, the Psalms command the people of God to sing.
 
Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. Psalm 96:1
 
It would be interesting to do a survey of the entire Bible, but two New Testament passages instantly come to mind, Ephesians 5:9 and Colossians 3:16. Both teach that singing is supposed to be a regular part of a believer’s life and community experience.
 
It’s not surprising to me that our gracious Creator would command us to do something we were engineered to benefit from and enjoy. It makes me feel like singing!
 
 
 

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