Glorified

Have you ever pondered why God created man? Of course you have and so have I. Although there is no way of knowing for sure; I like to think that God created man on Earth to give glory to him. If God created us to be glorified then is it not important for us to glorify him?
So how is it that we may glorify God? There is no better way than through our voices; through singing praises to God. The Greek word for God used in the Bible is Yahweh. When translated to Greek and pronounced correctly, it is about as close to a breath sound that one can make. God is in our breath and our breath in God. What better way to be connected with God than through the air we breathe? What better way to glorify God then through our voice? In order to glorify God through our speech it is important that we speak wisely; that we speak righteously. Righteous speech is limited (James 1:19). Righteous speech does not boast in anything, EXCEPT for the death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. Those who speak righteously reserve their language and consider the thoughts that leave their mouth (James 3:6-12).
Much more, God can be glorified through singing praises. I have no passion for singing, so church services can be tough for me sometimes. I refuse to manufacture some type of joy that is of my own earthly pleasure; not joy that is in peace with the Spirit. I sin outside of worship enough, so I refuse to give habit to an earthly joy and that is why I often remain silent and listen to others sing. It is scary to think that we may become so accustomed to manipulating neurotransmitters to their brain, that their worship is quite empty. It is scary to think that some of us that attend church our whole lives can be living off a short term high that we are getting each time we enter the building; a feeling that we simply give to ourselves. Whether other people are glorifying God through their voices or not is none of my concern, for I can see God in their voice regardless. Someone could be thinking about what they will eat for lunch, but from a distance all I can see is their breath being lifted up to God.
I have been blessed with a gift for music, which has its negatives. I am often bored with the simplistic melodies of church music; however, if it is not the music that stands in the way of my praise it can be the words. Putting words to music can have a positive or negative effect. Wonderful words can make a poor song beautiful, while lame words can make a beautiful song dead. I cannot help but listen to the words I hear during a song, which often interferes with my connection to God. You often hear people say, “There are no words to describe what I wish to say.” Then why do we always try?
I have joined the George Benson College choir here at Namwianga, which has sparked my love for music once again. The Zambian students here have such powerful voices and I take pride in our deep sounds that project from the bass section. But the songs that move me the most are the songs in which I do not understand (or should I say that these songs are the only ones I TRULY understand). The songs that I see God being glorified are the songs that we sing in Citonga; the songs that I do not apply words to. I do not care what the words are for the songs that we sing nor will I ever ask. The times that we come together and sing in Citonga are the only times that words do not hinder my praise to God. These songs have such wonderful sounds, sounds that do not symbolize anything earthly to me. For someone that speaks fluent Citonga, that language is simply sounds that represent certain things. For me, Citonga is a way that I may witness someone’s breath used to give glory to our creator.