I want to sing, but I’m afraid of being in front of others. What do I do?

Answer:

Singing is an important aspect of worship.

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Colossians 3:16).

"Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:19-20).

Singing serves two purposes: It is an opportunity to express praise to God, and it is an opportunity to instruct and encourage your fellow Christians. Notice how both passages cited put emphasis on the words sung and not the melody that accompanies it. The important part of singing is what is being said and not how pretty it might sound. I hate to say it, but I'm really disappointed with what passes for "Christian" music these days. If you just read the words, many of the songs are empty, vague, or just plain meaningless. Sure the melody is catchy, but we need catchy melodies to help trigger our memories of the words and the message they contain. Singing for the melody sake alone is useless activity.

One of the interesting things that many denominations have lost sight of is that there is no command for one Christian or a group of Christian to sing independently of the congregation. The command to sing is given to all Christians. You say that you have feelings that God wants you in front of the congregation, but God speaks through His Son through the Bible, not through feelings. "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son" (Hebrews 1:1-2). See "Choirs and Solos" for additional information.

Another point that needs to be made is that since singing is a form of teaching, a woman can participate in singing, but she cannot lead the singing because of God's command through Paul, "And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence" (I Timothy 2:12). The "silence" in this passage is not absolute silence, but a quietness that comes from non-assertiveness. A song leader has authority over a congregation because he directs which songs and, therefore, which thoughts the congregation will be expressing. It is not a popular idea these days, but God has told women that their work comes in a different form. See "Women's Roles" for more on this topic.