Psalms - Our Heartsong

Study and Application -  Finding Jesus on Every Page   (By: Michael Anderson)

God gave us the Psalm! In any of Lifespan's circumstances we can rejoice, ask or even cry out unto the Lord through praying and singing the Psalms to Him!  In the Psalms we can see the prayer of people like David, Solomon, the sons of Korah and more!  If we allow God's Word in our heart these songs will become our heart's song as well!  Read the Psalms.  Regularly! God's Word will change your life.

There are over 185 songs listed in the Scriptures. Some of them were very spontaneous and were created as a result of a miracle like Mary’s Magnificat?  Some were poems that were sung like Samson’s Jawbone poem, which may have actually been sung as a tuanting chant?  Moses sang the first recorded song in the Bible (Exodus 15) and in Rev. 15 there are “...those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God.  And they sang the song of Moses…” (Rev. 15:2-3), making the Song of Moses the first and the last song in the Scriptures. The longest song in the scriptures is Psalm 119! It is 1,732 words in the original Hebrew. The two shortest songs are only seven Hebrew words long each and both of them are in 2 Chronicles (5:13 and 20:21).  There are 150 Psalms and they are all songs!  There is one entire book that is a song!  The Song of Songs or Song of Solomon.

As we continue to look back on the life of David, we have the privilege of reading and hearing the words that God gave to him under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Much of what we read will be a picture and prophecy of the Messiah, Jesus Christ!  A psalm is a song!  We do not have the actual tune to which the song was played. The tune and the instruments have probably been changed many times over the last 30 centuries but it has always been and always will be The Word of the Lord.  Or, to say it in another way: They have always been and always will be The Songs of God!

He never declares the type of instruments or the melody as being divinely inspired or commanded by God to be sung in a certain style.  It that were true, no church today would be singing them correctly.  It is safe to say that we do not sing or play any of these songs as they were performed in David's day 3,000 years ago. Today there are many churches, singers and believers that sing from these Psalms and they are in every style from Southern Gospel, Contemporary, Jazz, Jewish, and many others. Even modern Christian Rap! That is not my style but if someone is worshiping God then that is God’s territory not mine.  In other countries they are sung in styles and languages we cannot speak.  But God is praised!  God is praised by the words sung FROM THE HEART!  Jesus quotes Isaiah in Matt. 15:8-9a when He says, “‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME…’”

As we read the Psalms, we should sing the words of the Psalms in our hearts.  Singing is very important to the Lord.  Our heart song is the worship of our Lord and many of us seem to forget that attending church is not enough. We must come back to the HEART OF WORSHIP!  One of my favorite songs says, “I’m coming back to the heart of worship where it’s all about You, Jesus!”  Let your heart sing as God intended.  In praise, in trouble or in need, that is what David did in his songs in the book of Psalms.  He just let his heart sing in prayer.  

I am sure you get the point.  Maybe we should be a little more aware of how important singing our heart songs are to the Lord.  Do you sing to Him?  Carrying a tune?  Not required!  Joyful noises ARE! They come from the heart!  Will you sing today?  Will you be singing from your heart to the Lord this week?  It really is all about Him! There is a clear picture of Jesus Christ in David’s song, Psalm 22.  From “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” in verse 1 to verse 31, “...what He has done” (HCSB).  I think this may be the saddest chapter in the Old Testament.  David’s profound sadness produces words that are spoken by Jesus on the cross.  Abandoned by everyone, and because He became sin for us, even the Father turns away.  Pictured in verse 2, He accepts the will of the Father and realizes He has become no more than a worm, (v. 6) despised and mocked by all (v. 6)!  Jesus is under fierce attack!  Perhaps, still trying to turn Him from the Father as during the forty days in the wilderness three years before. A bull (v.12) charges forward in rage, a lion stalks (v.13) and pounces, and dogs bark and bite (v.16).  Satan and his demons attack in full force! There was more happening on that cross than we know!  More than anyone could see! And He did it for you…  Then Jesus said, “Into your hands I commit my spirit” (Ps. 31:5; Luke 23:46). 

Was this a prophetic statement by David or did Jesus quote Psalms?  I think BOTH! God uses David to give mankind a picture of the cross and Jesus obviously loved the Psalms!  He quoted them and sang them. If our ultimate goal in life is to become like Christ, then we need to sing in worship too!  If the Son of God felt the need to worship the Father in song, then why would any Christian think they are somehow exempt from making worship in song?  Maybe we should really pay attention to the music of the Bible…