A son of our close friends wrote and sang to his bride on their wedding day, a special expression of his love for her. This touched the hearts of all who heard it.
Today I am reminded that music is important to God too. In the OT, He had people trained to sing to Him, and on special days, the “priests praised the Lord day by day, singing with all their might to the Lord.” Psalm 100:2 says, “Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” Even the mountains, forests, and waste places were called to “break forth with singing” to express the joy of God’s goodness. But His creation isn’t all that sings . . .
Zephaniah 3:17. “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”
The word PSALM literally means to make music. This verse says that making music begins with God. He rejoices over His people, calms us with His love and lifts us up with loud singing. This means that I must listen for God in the music — during worship services, when I play music at home or in my car, and even when I sing, for He may be speaking to me in the melodies.
He certainly speaks to His people in the book of Psalms — which is His song book. Many psalms are filled with joy. Some are sad. Some identify with my problems and sorrows. Others challenge my selfishness. Some praise God’s creation. Some describe Jesus, the coming Messiah. All of them point to the God who sings, who inspired His people to write psalms that reveal truth about His goodness and remind readers how we can live to honor Him.
Psalm 47:7. “For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!”
Psalm 95:1–2. “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!”
Psalm 34:11. “Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”
Psalm 90:12. “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
Psalm 94:12. “Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law.”
In the NT, the singing continues. Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
This is powerful. First, it makes me realize that singing this way is being like the Lord. He sings — I am to sing also. Besides, His singing has great power. Even the thought of God singing fills me with unspeakable joy. How could I be troubled when I could listen to my Creator’s voice making music!
Not only that, He shows me the power of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs in my own life. When I am kept awake by worries or a busy mind, singing “Jesus Loves Me” always calms those thoughts and lets me sleep. When I feel fearful, or am in physical pain, singing drives away all fears and stops me from grumbling and feeling sorry for myself. When working at a difficult or challenging or boring task, songs of praise change the chores to delightful duties. Music is powerful. God sings over me and when I sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs back to Him, I am blessed.
GAZE INTO HIS GLORY . . . today this application should read LISTEN TO HIS VOICE. He whispers His presence and His love, and often His directions for the next step. He shouts when I am in danger or doing something stupid. He laughs when others challenge my faith, or when He hands me unexpected blessings. He hums when I need to hear a gentle thought. And sometimes He sings — reminding me that I need to just stop and listen.
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