Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! (Psalm 105:2-3)

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul encouraged the brethren there to “be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father” (Ephesians 5:18-20). These were not just flowery words composed by an enthusiastic apostle; these were words that expressed the deep-seated faith of one who had who put this principle into practice no matter the circumstances. If anyone knew the value of singing praises to the Almighty, it was a Paul — a man who had been persecuted most everywhere he went.

One such example is found in the Book of Acts when he, along with Silas, visited the Macedonian city of Phillipi. Those in positions of power found them to be a costly annoyance and had them beaten, tossed into prison and bound in stocks. But Paul and his companion did not give into despair; instead they began to pray and sing hymns to God as others listened in. As they sang, the Bible says that “there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed” (Acts 16:26).

Singing praises to God has proven to be of great value to those who seek the Lord. Not only does it lift our spirits, but it touches the very heart of our Maker who is then motivated to work on our behalf. Obviously, we shouldn’t approach this with the thought of getting something in return; it should be an expression of a grateful heart and right attitude. And if, sometimes, our attitude needs to be overridden — like when we find ourselves sitting in a prison cell — then “let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15).

Blessings and Shalom,  

Bill