Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you.
Psalm 51:12
God’s people have taught others about God through song for thousands of years. We sing about God’s love and grace and justice in many different forms. Songs help people remember the lessons of life and the relationship they should have with our almighty God.
The Bible’s songbook is the Psalms. Here are some quick facts about the Psalms:
David, the man after God’s own heart, wrote 75 of the songs,
Praise occurs 211 times in the psalms (only 129 uses in the rest of the Bible),
Even though there are 150 psalms, it is the third longest book behind Jeremiah and Genesis,
Jesus quotes from the Psalms more than any other OT book (11 times).
The psalms are identified as the most read portion of the Bible. They are highly valued by both Jewish and Christian readers. They help us identify our place in God’s Kingdom as we give praise, seek wisdom, provide thankgiving, and lament before and to God. The last type of psalm is the royal psalm. This psalm celebrates God’s rule over His people. This puts us in mind of the Lord’s Prayer as we ask that God’s will be done here in our lives as He rules in heaven.
So why do we use songs to teach? We teach our kids the ABC’s via song. We teach them how to count in song. We sing Jesus Loves Me with our kids to learn about God. VBS is filled with God songs. I attended a college service last week with singing about God. We teach people about God in song because it works. We relate to God and each other in song. We teach the world through our songs about God. God’s people celebrate God in song and the psalms begin that journey for many.
So get a psalm in your heart and teach yourself and others about God!
Scripture: Psalm 51
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