Testimony of Spiritual Songs

I received my calling to ministry when I was around 12 or 13 years old. I remember being at an all-night prayer vigil at my church during the time my parents had signed our family up to come and pray over something significant that was happening. I don’t remember now what we were praying about, but I do remember the Lord prompting me to go to the piano in the choir room and play. I started playing “Father, I Adore You,” a song with words by Terrye Coelho Strom (1972). I hadn’t had any music lessons, I didn’t know how to play the piano, but I was able to pick out the notes from what I remembered in our worship service. I began singing along and I remember the Lord telling me that He wanted me to sing for Him. This was my introduction to ministry through music. But the Lord didn’t stop there… He later gave me the gift and ability to sing Spiritual songs. That sounds really mysterious, doesn’t it?

​Spiritual songs, Spirit songs, or songs of the Spirit are simply spontaneous songs that the Holy Spirit gives us to sing. There is a lot of precedent for this in the Bible. In the Old Testament, Miriam, Moses’ and Aaron’s sister, sang a song of victory when the Israelites were delivered from Pharaoh’s army. In Exodus 15, verses 20-21 it says, “Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took the timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dancing. Miriam answered them, ‘Sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted; the horse and his rider He has hurled into the sea.’” And in the New Testament, Mary’s song was a spontaneous burst of praise to the Lord, after being told she would be the mother of Messiah. Zacharias sang as a prophecy about Jesus’s birth and ministry and the role of John the Baptist. In fact, in the case of Mary and Zacharias, the Bible specifically says they were singing after being filled with the Holy Spirit.  

​These biblical examples are not the only places you can hear spiritual songs. You can find a lot of spiritual songs in the African American traditions. These are songs which spoke to people’s experience of God in their struggles. Some African and Arab people groups still use this style of singing to express their faith. They began as spontaneous songs and are highly improvisational.

Maybe you’ve sung spirituals before and/or are familiar with that style. I love singing spirituals. One of my favorites is “Give Me Jesus.” They speak to my heart and bring me comfort when I’m struggling with something. I have also been privileged to sing spontaneously as the Holy Spirit directs me. Around the age of 14 or 15, during family worship time, the Lord prompted me to begin singing. I didn’t have a hymnal in front of me; my family was not musically inclined at all. Music for me is an absolute gift! I could hear the music in my mind, so I just opened up my mouth and started to sing, “Alleluia, alleluia.” It was spontaneous and it sounded complete and composed, as if someone had written it and I had learned it. This was my introduction to spiritual songs.

Have you ever allowed the Holy Spirit to sing through you? As a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside you. Are you afraid to try singing a spiritual song? I still sing them from time to time and I never feel as if I’m being overpowered or forced into it. It’s more like a nudge or a prompting from the Spirit to sing. And I can usually hear the music in my head. I always feel completely safe and comfortable. After all, these are a form of praise to my Lord and Savior.

I have not had a lot of opportunities to sing these in public, but I’m about to start sharing some with you on Facebook and eventually on YouTube. I hope you will be blessed by them and maybe even inspired to listen to the Holy Spirit’s leading in your own life in the area of praise.

I hope this blesses you and will encourage you to trust the Holy Spirit as He directs you. And if you aren’t musical, don’t worry. He’ll direct you in bringing glory and honor to the Lord in other ways. 


Photo by Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash