Songs that Prophesy
In the past episodes, we have discussed how music is more than sound—it’s a spiritual tool. In this one, we will look at music as a vehicle for the prophetic.
Remember what we said about the Psalms being songs? King David often prophesied through music, many times accompanied by instruments. Numerous Psalms begin with instructions like “to the Chief Musician” or “set to…”—revealing how integral music was to delivering divine utterance.
For example, Psalm 22, which opens with “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Psalm 22:1), is a clear prophetic declaration of the sufferings of Christ, yet it was delivered as a psalm—a song. David didn’t just write; he sang. He didn’t just sing, he prophesied. “David spoke to the Lord the words of this song…” (2 Samuel 22:1). Music, then, is not merely aesthetic—it is prophetic.
READ ALSO: SHOULD CHRISTIANS LISTEN TO SECULAR MUSIC?
A Vehicle for Prophecy
Music ministry is a vehicle for bringing forth prophecy, which is simply, declaring what the Lord’s word is. A clear example is found in 2 Kings 3:15, where the prophet Elisha requested a minstrel: “But now bring me a minstrel.” And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him…”
In that moment, the music created an atmosphere that enabled the prophetic word to come forth from Elisha. This shows that music is not just a background to the prophetic—it can actually stir the spirit and become a channel through which God speaks. Spiritual music creates an atmosphere conducive to hearing and delivering God’s word.
Often, when people sing, they are less self-conscious, more open, and more yielded to the Spirit. Fear is pushed aside, and things begin to flow more naturally. That’s part of the reason the prophetic often operates more freely with music.
Have you ever found yourself speaking boldly alone in your room or rehearsing in front of a mirror, only to later struggle to express the same thing in public—your voice cracking, stuttering under pressure? Music helps bypass those internal barriers. It calms nerves, heightens spiritual sensitivity, and allows smoother expression, especially in prophetic contexts.
Biblical teaching itself is prophetic. It is the communication of God’s word and carries the same Spirit. That’s why music in the church isn’t just about singing; it’s about teaching, edifying, and declaring God’s mind. True Christian music carries revelation—it helps people hear God, and it helps people speak for God. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…” (Colossians 3:16).
Music smoothens that process, much like oil on a machine, allowing for easier movement in the spirit.
READ ALSO: CESSATIONISM
Songs from Heaven: Stories Behind Our Music
This is an excerpt from our home church song book — God’s Lighthouse Song Book:
There is a day we call ‘Music Day’ in God’s Lighthouse — March 4th, 2018. It was the day the Lord spoke to our congregation about music, and a fresh river of prophetic worship was released.
This ‘Music Day’ was the springhead for the no less than 200 spontaneous songs we have received to date. On that day, I prayed for those who believed they were called to the music ministry — one sister who had hesitated was kicked physically out into the prayer line by an angel!
After this prophecy, almost immediately, the two songs [“One Song” and “We Take Music for the Kingdom of God”] were ‘downloaded’ like all our other songs, in an atmosphere of intense prayer and worship. With no intention to compose a song, no musical instruments, a very cheap (and faulty) mic-speaker set, and no thought at all of sharing the unexpected and unrefined songs with the body of Christ, we worshipped with all our hearts.
The conviction to keep singing — three more songs were sung in April, October, and November 2018 before a spate of songs came from January 2019 — came nearly a year later when we were rebuked by God for disdaining His gift from this day. We hadn’t even extracted the songs out from the raw sermon audios, not to speak of attempting to sing them again.
This word officially launched us into a season of birthing new songs during corporate worship with which we made joyful intercession and used as weapons of warfare.
READ NEXT: MUSIC MINISTRY – DOES THE CHURCH NEED A CHOIR? (PT 6)
Call to Action
You might wonder: how do you receive songs like this? It’s not about musical training or talent. It begins with believing. Open your heart in worship. Believe the Word. Yield yourself to the Holy Spirit, and He will fill your mouth — sometimes with words, sometimes with tongues, sometimes with melodies you’ve never heard before.
In the next episode, I’ll tell you the story of a church that has many prophesying songs and has heard God speak many times through music.
