Reading
- Psalm 126; 128; 129; 132; 147; 149
Devotional
Today concludes our three-day look at the psalms written after the exile ended. Psalm 147 includes the statements:
1 Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful...7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; Sing praises on the harp to our God
(Psalm 147:1,7 NKJV)
Indeed it is good to sing praises to GOD. But why is this? Let's consider three reasons today for our devotional:
- Singing to GOD helps us shift the focus off of ourselves and onto GOD. GOD designed us in such a way that we feel best about ourselves when we are focused on others. When we sing to GOD, our focus is upon Him—if we're paying attention to what we're singing, that is—and in so doing, we forget about all of our problems or struggles or possessions or whatever is on our mind. Singing to GOD is a form of worship to Him as we mentally bow ourselves before Him, recognizing His greatness and our smallness.
- Singing is an effective means of teaching and learning. The melody helps the words stick with us longer. Think about examples, such as popular songs your family listens to, or spiritual songs such as the books of the Bible, the judges of Israel, or the twelve apostles' names. It's so much easier to remember them with the tune of a song than it is just by speaking them.
- A beautiful song touches our hearts in unique ways. Spoken words often do not have the same emotional effect as lyrics that are sung in melody. I don't know why this is other than that's the way GOD designed us.
And what better subject to sing about than GOD? As Psalm 147 points out, GOD has done so much to be worthy of our praises that to sing about them is both natural and a joy.
