The Encourager – Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs

Do you take time to encourage other believers? This is not an optional activity, but an exhortation to all who follow Christ. As Paul writes in Ephesians 5:19-20, we should be “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” But what if we don’t feel like singing?

Check out the previous verse: “be filled with the Spirit.” It’s a simple fact that we can’t encourage others until we ourselves have been encouraged by the Holy Spirit. When we are struggling to rejoice – due to external circumstances in this broken world or to our own internal sin – we have ready sources of encouragement in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs! Feeling down? First let the poet/harpist King David inspire your worship with his songs of pleading and praise. Then sing your own songs in prayer to the Lord. You don’t have to be a professional musician or even a good singer to make a joyful noise. If the Lord made you tone-deaf, you are not released from the command to sing. Find a prayer closet or a spot out in nature and go for it!

Last Sunday in church we sang a wonderful song. I woke up with it on my mind and Dave and I have been singing it all week. Thanks to YouTube, we can search for songs with lyrics and play them over and over if we want to. Eventually, we memorize the words and they become part of the free library of encouragement in our minds. As the Spirit brings these songs to mind in difficult times, the memorized words penetrate our hearts, as yeast is worked into dough or fertilizer is worked into garden soil. Our faith grows.

“The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” – Zephaniah 3:17 That’s right, God rejoices over us with singing. So let’s sing with Him! And from hearts overflowing with thankfulness, we can lift up others and thus fulfill the law of Christ.

God is faithful,
j

PS Here’s the chorus of the song I’ve been listening to and singing all week. May it encourage you as it has encouraged me.

“Holy, Holy, Lord God almighty.
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain!
Highest praises, honor and glory be unto your name, be unto your name.”

- “Be Unto Your Name” Words and music by L. DeShazo and G. Sadler, Integrity’s Hosanna! Music. I recommend this version on YouTube by CRC Worship: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSPwjMv_-5k