Daily Devotional | Worship and Peace

Quiet music can have such a soothing effect on us, that many people use it to fall asleep. It can calm our heart rate and still our minds, leaving us with a feeling of peace. In our final look at psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, not only does Paul encourage the Christians in Colossae to sing, but he also explains the benefits of worship for the believer.

Colossians 3 gives clear instruction on how we should prepare ourselves for worship. There are no less than seven active commands for the people of God, such as “set” your hearts and minds on things above (vv. 1–2), “put to death” anything that belongs to our earthly nature (v. 5), “rid yourselves” and “do not lie” (vv. 8–9). And then more commands that culminate with love: “clothe yourselves” (v. 12), “bear with each other” (v. 13), and above all “put on love” (v. 14). As we saw in Ephesians 5, there is a posture before God and others that prepares us not only to be Spirit-filled worshipers, but that also invites Christ to rule in us.

But look how the language changes after these seven active commands—“let” the peace of Christ rule in our hearts (v. 15) and “let” the message of Christ (or, according to some translations, “the word of Christ”) dwell richly (v. 16). When we obey God’s commands, setting our hearts and minds on seeking the eternal things and loving Him and others, Christ’s peace and His Word can effortlessly rule in us. And when it does, God puts a song in us. We naturally sing songs in worship that help us both lovingly teach and admonish one another (v. 16). We see these two purposes in the songs throughout Scripture, and we ought to strive for fulfilling these purposes in our churches today.

Go Deeper

Do we seek the things above (v. 1) and set our minds and hearts on Christ and His Word? How does preparing correctly for worship allow the peace of Christ to rule our hearts (v. 15)?

Pray with Us: Can we find peace in our turbulent world? Your Word says yes—and surprisingly, one of the ways is in singing to You. Teach us Your ways, so that the peace of Christ will rule in our hearts.

BY Brian Lee

Dr. Brian Lee is a professor of Music at Moody Bible Institute. He serves in music ministry at Maranatha Bible Church in Chicago and is an active classical pianist as a soloist and chamber musician. He earned a doctorate from The Juilliard School and has been invited as a guest artist, adjudicator, masterclass teacher at many institutions, competitions, and festivals. He and his wife, Helen, are the parents of three sons.