“Speak to one another with the words of psalms, hymns and sacred songs; sing hymns and psalms to the Lord with praise in your hearts”. (Ephesians 5:19 GNT)

The Psalms teach us to pray and sing in all the seasons of life. Michael Morgan, a musician and scholar of the Psalms writes, “the psalms reveal every imaginable condition of our human experience, but never without the illumination of who God is and where we stand in relation to that wonderful Presence.” Reading and meditating on the Psalms provides a way for us to express a range of emotions, from praise to lament, helping us find hope in the challenges of life. The Psalms speak to us of God’s character, his greatness and goodness, the reasons he is worthy of our praise.

The Psalms are songs and poems intended for both personal and communal worship. In fact the Greek word psalmos means “song”. It made me think about how learning songs can help us remember phrases and words. The bible verses I remember easily are usually the ones I learned through song. My grade 5 teacher played guitar and would often teach us bible memory verses through song, and they are verses I still remember to this day. There are a number of musicians and worship leaders who have written beautiful worship songs based on the Psalms. For example Keith and Kristyn Getty (here is one based on Psalm 130 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eJUqY_6tqo). Listening to a psalm being sung while reading its words is a unique way to meditate in worship. Perhaps you have a favourite Psalm based on a hymn or song? I encourage you to listen to it while reading and absorbing the words from Scripture.

Martin Luther expressed it well, declaring that God is “praised and honoured and we are made better and stronger in faith when his holy Word is impressed on our hearts by sweet music”.

Blessings,
Sarah

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