I was listening to that wonderful Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli the other day. I am always greatly inspired when I hear his voice – a priceless gift from God. And he knows it, as I shall explain.

The power of worship

But it caused me to meditate on the whole business of worship, and of singing love songs in particular. Whole books of the Bible are devoted to singing songs of praise to the Lord, and I believe we Christians grossly underestimate its power.

We do it, I hope, because we love God, but it’s also a powerful witness to the reality of our Saviour, and it does us a world of good too in providing medicine for wounded souls. For we always find that “the joy of the Lord is our strength” (Neh 8:10).

For all its shortcomings, the BBC still acknowledges the genuineness of the Christian faith with its popular weekly programme Songs of Praise. And its audience of millions will know, if they are honest, that most of those happy smiling faces are not fake.

So it is too with those who have truly fallen in love with Christ. The reality of their faith is infectious.

Expressions of adoration

Most people who have fallen in love want the whole world to know about it, so they are not afraid to demonstrate their affection in public. So it is too with those who have truly fallen in love with Christ. The reality of their faith is infectious.

I’ll never forget my experience at a Jerusalem Jerusalem dine-in where I sang of my love for Jesus.nightspot seven years ago when I was persuaded to take part in an ‘open mic’ evening. Accompanied by a lovely guitar kindly loaned by the barman, I sang two songs – Can’t Help Falling in Love, dedicated to my wife at home in England, followed by a love song to my Saviour, although his name is not actually mentioned in You Raise Me Up.

When I returned to my seat, a young Jewish man asked me if I had been singing about Jesus. And for the next half-hour, he was all ears as I shared with this modern-day Moses (for Moshe was his name) how Jesus was the ultimate Passover Lamb sacrificed for our sins, which would be washed away the minute we marked our hearts with his blood, metaphorically-speaking. When we worship Christ publicly, people will notice a strength and devotion that is surely supernatural.

I was delighted to learn that a gold medal-winning garden at the Chelsea Flower Show was based on a 3,000-year-old love song to God. The Bible Society’s Psalm 23 entry portrayed green pastures, quiet waters and a dark valley in order to communicate the restorative nature of Scripture.

The man who has sold 45 million records confessed that he did not want to be found empty-handed when he came face to face with his Creator on Judgment Day.

Helping the poor

All of which brings me back to my favourite singer, Andrea Bocelli, who has revealed his passionate faith in an interview now posted on YouTube. Quoting the words of Jesus, “to whom much is given, much shall be asked” (Luke 12:48), the man who has sold 45 million records confessed that he did not want to be found empty-handed when he came face to face with his Creator on Judgment Day.

Because he has received so much (in spite of his blindness), he seeks to Andrea Bocellirespond to God’s love by doing all he can, especially for the poor. It’s a response to God’s love and mercy; it’s not about virtue signalling or a plea for divine recognition. It’s not about works, but about a faith that works.

And we all have a duty to help the poor. It’s part of the gospel (Matt 11:5, Isa 61:1), and was among Paul’s priorities in mission (Acts 24:17, Rom 15:26f, Gal 2:10). In Acts 10, helping the poor was twice named as a reason God responded to the heart of the Roman centurion Cornelius by sending Peter to preach the gospel.

It wasn’t that his gifts earned his heavenly reward of salvation – for faith alone does that; it was merely evidence of a God-seeker; of someone who reflected God’s compassion for the poor who now, through Peter, received the full picture of God’s great plan for the Gentiles.

Fearfully and wonderfully made

As for Andrea Bocelli, he set up a foundation for the poor when, ten years ago, his tearful wife Veronica woke him up to tell him about the devastating earthquake in Haiti, and they determined to do something to help.

Maybe I’m [biased] but I can say that it was the right choice!

“Suffering is a condition that has always touched me deeply,” he told EWTN News. Andrea was born with congenital glaucoma (as was my late wife Irene) and was blind by the age of 12. Nevertheless, he studied law and shook the world with his magnificent voice.

But we would have been robbed of such talent if his mother, following an attack of appendicitis, had listened to doctors’ advice to have him aborted. “They told her it was the best solution because the baby would be born with some disability,” Bocelli explained in an earlier video. Fortunately, she ignored their advice and Andrea was born on September 22, 1958. “Maybe I’m [biased] but I can say that it was the right choice”, the tenor quipped.

We are all precious in God’s sight. In another love song penned by King David 3,000 years ago, he writes: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps 139:13f).