10 Good Reasons to Sing from the Psalms

Don Whitney, author of several NavPress books, is the John H. Powell Endowed Chair of Pastoral Ministry at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Here are several short, practical posts from his always-timely book, Simplify Your Spiritual Life: Spiritual Disciplines for the Overwhelmed. In these selected excerpts, Whitney will help us consider ways to simplify our journaling, our prayer, our Christian life in general, our priorities, and our time in Scripture. In this post on time in Scripture, Whitney shows us that it’s good to sing from the Psalms to the Lord.

I was praying through Psalm 68 recently. When I came to the words, “Sing to God, sing praises to His name” (verse 4), guess what I did? Yes, I did exactly what the text said. . . .

Here are ten reasons why it’s good to sing from the Psalms when you are alone before the Lord:

1. It’s good because the Bible says it’s “good to sing praises to our God” (Psalm 147:1).
2. It’s good because it helps you to “sing to Him a new song,” which the Bible commands in verses such as Psalm 33:3 (see also Psalm 96:1; 98:1; 149:1).
3. It’s good because the Bible says to sing “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16).
4. It’s good because it nourishes your soul as only the words God inspired for us to sing can do.
5. It’s good because it expresses to the Lord what’s in your heart in a divinely appointed way.
6. It’s good because singing God’s Word reinforces His truth in your heart and mind.
7. It’s good because along with your mind it involves your body and soul, making for a more whole-person worship of God.
8. It’s good because you learn to express yourself biblically.
9. It’s good because it’s enlivening to your soul to sing words that are “living and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12).
10. It’s good because you unite with what the people of God throughout the world have sung for thousands of years.

It really is “good to sing praises to our God.” Enjoy the goodness.