Sing to the Lord

God and Reason (19)

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
And Your faithfulness every night,
On an instrument of ten strings,
On the lute,
And on the harp,
With harmonious sound.
For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work;
I will triumph in the works of Your hands. Psalm 92.1-4

We should sing more
There has never been a culture without singing. Human beings were made to sing, and especially to sing praise and thanks to God. Singing is as human as breathing and, while not as essential as breathing, can be a source of refreshment and renewal as well as an aid to our reasoning powers.

That this is so can be understood from a casual pass through the Psalms. God had a reason for making the largest book in the Bible a song book. He wants us to sing and especially to sing to Him in celebration of His works. It is good to sing praises to the Lord; that is, singing is in line with His original purpose for us His image-bearers (Ps. 92.1, 2; cf. Gen. 1.31).

God commands us to make and sing new songs to Him (Pss. 96.1; 98.1). He calls His people to sing together unto His Name (Ps. 95.1; 149.1) and promises to inhabit their songs of praise, that is, to make Himself known in the midst of them, so that we know His joy in singing (Ps. 22.3). The Lord urges us to sing with musical instruments of various kinds (Ps. 98.4ff). We sing because God has redeemed us (Ps. 71.2) and has brought us salvation (Ps. 96.2). 

But God calls us to sing with understanding (Ps. 47.7), so that we’re not just mouthing words but actually declaring eternal truths with every note and neume, proclaiming His greatness and majesty, wisdom and might, beauty and glory, salvation and lovingkindness.

Such singing can be arresting (Ps. 40.3). Singing praises to the Lord with shouting and instruments, together with God’s people forever is where our history is headed (Ps. 66.4). Singing is one thing every believer can do all their life long (Ps. 104.33). And singing to the Lord in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs is a good indication that the Spirit of God is at work in our lives (Eph. 5.18-21).

We should sing more, sing the songs of Zion to our Savior, Lord, and King. Sing alone. Sing with others. Sing with confidence, assurance, boldness, gusto, and joy! And sing to keep our reasoning sharp and well-focused.

Singing as an aid to reason
How does singing help improve our powers of reasoning? I can think of at least three ways.

First, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs fills our mouths and minds with the great truths of God and all His mighty works. The treasury of Christian hymnody covers all the mighty works of God, especially His work of redemption. Singing these glorious songs can shape the way we think, cultivating a mind set on the Lord and saturated with His works and glory, leaving scant room for corrupting thoughts or ideas.

Second, singing praise to the Lord engages and strengthens our memory. You would be surprised to discover how many hymns are stored in your mind already. The early Christians, coming from their Jewish background, were so filled with the psalms as their worship book that all it took was for someone to begin singing a line and they joined their voices together to give thanks and praise to God (cf. Acts 4.23ff). 

Third, singing over and over to the Lord can lead to deeper meditation on spiritual truths When, for example, we sing Eliza Hewitt’s “More about Jesus” and come to the line, “More about Jesus on His throne, riches in glory all His own…”, how can we not focus the eyes of our heart on our glorious King, exalted, reigning, and showering blessings upon us every moment? Likewise, when singing Psalm 110, and we see Jesus sitting next to the Father, putting His enemies under His feet, and sending us as His messengers—we cannot help but recall the Great Commission He has assigned to us and consider how we may carry it forward each day.

These are just a few of the ways that singing can help us to keep a lively mind, focused on Christ, so that we grow stronger at taking every thought captive to make them all obedient to Him (2 Cor. 10.3-5).

Who will sing to the Lord?
Who will sing like this? Who will labor to make singing to the Lord more a part of their daily lives? Not just their Sunday morning or devotional lives, but singing to the Lord in all they do and encouraging one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” (Col. 3.16)?

The psalmist tells us: “For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work…” (Ps. 92.4). All who are truly glad for what God has done for them, for His great salvation, indwelling Spirit, unfailing Word and promises, and above all, for Jesus Christ our Savior and King—all such people will sing to the Lord and, as they do, grow stronger in their minds and hearts and reasoning powers.

For reflection of discussion
1. Do you sing as much as you could? Explain.

2. Do you have a favorite hymn or praise song? Do you know it entirely by heart? Why not sing it more frequently?

3. What could you do to learn a few more praise songs or hymns by heart? Are there others who might sing with you?

Next steps—Transformation: Try singing at three set times each day, maybe morning, noon, and evening (Ps. 55.16, 17). Choose one song to sing for a week until you know it by heart.

T. M. Moore

If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

The Ailbe Psalter sets all the psalms to familiar hymn tunes. Order your copy, in book or free PDF form, today and start singing the psalms with gladness to the Lord.

This week: Our Read Moore podcast continues readings from the book, The Joy and Rejoicing of My Heart. In our Crosfigellteaching letter, we are studying examples of the spiritual poetry of the Celtic Revival. And in the daily Scriptorium column we are working our way through the Gospel of Matthew. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you. 

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