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If you've been around Faith Bible Fellowship Church of York for a while, or if you're new, you may have noticed our practice of not only reading and praying the psalms but also singing them. However, let's be honest—it's not always easy. We don't repeat the psalms very often, and many of the words and phrases can feel archaic or hard to relate to. So, why do we prioritize this practice?
You Are What You Sing
An old saying within Christian tradition goes, "The law of prayer is the law of faith." To adapt this to our circumstances, we could also say that what you sing is what you really believe. We cannot deny the formative effect of music on our souls and our walk with the Lord. In terms of music, we are what we listen to and sing.
Many people in recent years have rightfully critiqued the state of contemporary worship music—its banality, repetition, emotionalism, and so forth. Since there is already a body of writing on this theme, I need not expound upon these criticisms here. The real question is not what's wrong with modern worship, but what is the alternative?
In the book of Jeremiah, we are exhorted to look to and return to the old paths (Jeremiah 6:16). Fortunately, God has not left us without guidance. He has provided us with His inspired and infallible Word to instruct us not only on why we worship but also on how and what we might sing to Him. Since God has inspired 150 psalms for us, why would we not avail ourselves of them?
In terms of physical diet, you are what you eat. If you have a nonstop diet of fats and sugars, you will inevitably be lethargic and unhealthy. Similarly, what we consume musically and theologically will shape our spiritual makeup. Are we lacking a theology of resistance? Do we lack the vocabulary to lament? Are we unable to prayerfully call down judgment on the wicked, even while laboring for their evangelization? Perhaps we are missing essential nutrients in our diet. The psalms provide these very nutrients.
Consider the effect on your discipleship of singing texts like Psalms 58:6, 109:8–15, and 137:9 (imprecatory psalms), or Psalms 22, 42, and 88 (psalms of lament). They give us the words to call on God in battle and express both our deepest pains and highest praises—words that we would simply not have come up with on our own. God intends for us to make these words ours in prayer and song.
Songs for the Negative World
We are living in what Aaron Renn calls the negative world, where Christian values are increasingly marginalized. (For more on this, see Renn’s article in First Things.) In such a context, we need the psalms to help us live in pursuit of the crown rights of the Lord Jesus Christ in all things.
The battle belongs to those who sing. The story goes that at the Battle of Thermopylae, the Persian slave-soldiers groaned in chains while the Spartans joyfully sang. Though the Spartans lost at Thermopylae, an analysis of history shows that they won the greater moral victory. So too, throughout history, victory goes to those who most fervently believe in their cause. Worship is warfare, and thus we too cannot expect victory if we have not embraced the victorious promises of God in song.
Next time we sing a psalm together in church, thank God that He has given us His Word to sing!
Recommended Resources:
Albums:
Brian Sauvé, Even Dragons Shall Him Praise
Shane and Shane, Psalms, Vol. 1 and 2
Apps:
The 1650 Scottish Metrical Psalter (Apple)
Psalms for Worship (Android)
Trinity Psalter Hymnal (Android)
– Alex Kocman, Elder