“But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.” (Psalm 59:16)
I love to sing! There seems to always be something to sings about. In fact, the Psalms are a collection of songs. Today’s verse gives a picture of an early morning praise to God for his mercy. The main theme of the entire Book of Psalms (150 separate poems altogether) is “the glorification of God”. While many of the Psalms are songs of praise and glory, some speak of sorrow, need and/or affliction. The Psalms along with the Book of Isaiah are two Old Testament books that are most frequently quoted in the New Testament. These ancient Psalms are a significant part of our worship even in today’s church. They not only give us a type of ‘prayer book’, they also give us a pattern of worship.
We are encouraged to redeem the time and keep psalms and hymns and spiritual songs in our heart (Eph 5:19-21). And James asks the question: Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms (James 5:13). Paul encourages the Corinthian church with: How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying (1 Cor 14:26). The underlying theme here is that the world can easily consume our thoughts and deeds. Keeping a “spiritual song” in our heart will help us to keep our eyes upon the Father and rely upon the Holy Spirit to keep our walk straight and edifying.
“Psalm Power” is very, very strong. Keeping the right song in your heart will remind you that you ought to be “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” (Eph 5:20-21)
