Songs are impactful. They can alter our emotions, influence our thoughts, and engage our memory. One way we can honor the One who created music is to sing his words back to him. Jesus and his disciples would have grown up singing the Psalms, or chanting them, sometimes with musical accompaniment.

The Psalms are a collection of prayers, praises, and meditations. They have been used for centuries as ways to continue the remembrance of God’s workings and teachings, his chosen people’s heartfelt sentiments, and the redemptive work through the Messiah. Theologian N.T. Wright states about the Psalms, in his book The Case for the Psalms, “ It is the story of the creator God taking his power and reigning, ruling on earth as in heaven, delighting the whole creation by sorting out its messes and muddles, its injuries and injustices, once and for all.”

In Luke 24:24b, we read Jesus’ words to his disciples that, “’Everything must be fulfilled that was written about me in the Law of Moses, and in the Prophets and the Psalms.’” Think about the fact that Jesus was practiced at singing Psalms that foretold him as Messiah. What self-control and understanding he had to not reveal who he was until God’s appointed time.

Words attached to musical notes aid in remembering those words, so this was a powerful way to not only memorize truths, but also unite with others in beliefs and praise while reciting them. In Ephesians 5:19, Paul exhorts us to address one another with psalms and spiritual songs, singing unto the Lord.

As we give honor to God and worship in song with other believers, it is as if we are joining with the angels and heavenly beings worshiping Jesus.

As N.T. Wright encourages his readers: “Sing these songs, and they will renew you from head to toe, from heart to mind. Pray these poems, and they will sustain you on the long, hard but exhilarating road of Christian discipleship.” Psalm 105:2 (ESV) motivates us to sing to God: “Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!”

On that note, why not sing some Truth each day?