Singing is Saying, But More

Why did God invent song? And why did he build it into the lives of His followers?

I’m not absolutely confident of the answer to those questions, but I know this: Some things are too beautiful or wonderful just to be said.

They need their own music.

A Reason To Sing

God wired song into creation. …But only certain parts of it.

Scientists tell us that approximately 5400 species of animals sing: humpback whales, pigmy blue whales, dolphins, gibbons, Mexican Freetail bats, certain tree frogs, and of course, birds—well over 5,000 different species in all.

But of all the animals that sing, apparently not one lives on the ground. It seems every singing animal lives either in trees or in the ocean.

Fascinating.

Researchers believe the reason for this is that singing requires security. Singing makes an animal’s presence known—not just to allies, but to enemies. Though they aren’t perfect, tree canopies and ocean environments tend to be more secure than their terrestrial counterparts. Because they are, their inhabitants feel safe enough to sing.

Of course, the one exception to all of the above is a species with which you and I are quite familiar. The only ground-dwelling organisms that produce song are humans.

Which makes sense, seeing as though, technically, our citizenship lies not on the earth but elsewhere.