5 Reasons to Sing Psalms and Hymns in Worship
It’s important that we have reasons for why we do what we do in the church, especially in corporate worship.
It might be surprising to learn that in a new church led by a pastor in his mid-thirties, we exclusively sing hymns and Psalms in worship at Providence.
Is this because Psalms and hymns are my personal preference? Or because I’m a cold-hearted Presbyterian who doesn’t want too much emotion or hand-raising in church?
No! Not at all.
At Providence we want to prioritize God’s Word. We want the Scriptures to be the focus of every worship service, and not only does that include the sermon, but that extends to the prayers that we pray, and the songs that we sing.
Paul encouraged the singing of “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” in order to praise the living God and to build one another up as brothers and sisters in the Lord (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). James also encourages those who are suffering to pray and those who are cheerful to sing praises.
John Payne wrote in his book on reformed worship,
“The singing of historic Psalms and hymns is not another page in the annals of cold traditionalism. Psalm and hymn signing, at its best, is a biblical, God-centered, joyful and reverent response (both lyrically and musically) to the sovereign God.” Jon Payne, In The Splendor of Holiness
Here are five reasons why psalms and hymns are beneficial for God’s people.
1 | Biblical Faithfulness
The first and most obvious reason we should sing Psalms and hymns is that Psalms are literally Scripture and hymns are time-tested, God-glorifying lyrics and music.
Faithfulness to God’s Word should be every church’s highest priority. Because we are both reflecting upon and proclaiming the truths of the Bible when we sing in worship, it’s important that the lyrics we’re singing are heavily rooted in and accurately reflect God’s Word.
After all, biblically faithful lyrics teach us about God. This is particularly true for the Psalms. These 150 songs were sung in Old Testament worship and are still meant to be sung in worship on this side of the cross.
They are rich in their description of God’s character and nature. Several Psalms describe the Lord as “...merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (86:15; 103:8; 111:4; 112:4; 116:5; and 145:8). Other Psalms remind us of God’s holiness (22:3; 29:2; 30:4).
This is why at Providence, it is our practice to sing at least one Psalm in worship every Sunday.
In a similar manner, while hymns are not inspired, they faithfully describe biblical truths in time-tested manners.
For example “Come Thou Almighty King” faithfully describes the Trinity. “God Moves in a Mysterious Way” recounts the providence of God. “All Creatures of Our God and King” details God’s work of creation. “There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood” tells of Christ’s atoning death.
Consider the lyrics written by Samuel Stone from “The Church’s One Foundation:”
The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ, her Lord;
She is His new creation, by water and the Word;
From heaven He came and sought her to be His holy bride;
With His own blood he bought her, and for her life He died.
In one simple verse, we learn 3 key truths about the Church: 1. Jesus is the foundation of the Church, 2. He left heaven to seek her out as His bride, and 3. He paid for her with His blood.
Or the beauty of the words penned by Charitie Lees Bancroft in her hymn “Before the Throne of God Above”:
Before the throne of God above, I have a strong and perfect plea,
A great High Priest whose name is Love, who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands. My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in heav’n He stands no tongue can bid me thence depart.
These stanzas are rich with truths we see throughout Scripture. This hymn should bring to mind Hebrews 4:15-16: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
These are just a few small examples of the rich biblical truths contained in the Psalms and hymns.
2 | Reverence
Additionally, our worship needs to be reverent. When Isaiah entered into the presence of God, he thought that he was going to die (Isaiah 6:5)! We may not necessarily believe we’re going to die in Lord’s Day worship each week, but we should remember that the God Isaiah saw is the same God we approach each Lord’s Day.
“For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD?
Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD,
a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones,
and awesome above all who are around him?
O LORD God of hosts,
who is mighty as you are, O LORD,
with your faithfulness all around you?”
Psalm 89:6–8
If we have put our faith in Christ, we can boldly approach God’s throne of grace. But we shouldn’t do so flippantly or casually. In some places, the American church has become so casual and relaxed that believers have adopted a casual and relaxed demeanor toward God.
And no doubt, the music that we sing in worship can either encourage or discourage a reverent posture toward God, which is why biblically rich music is so important. But the same reverence and honor that Scripture gives God should be the same reverence and honor we give Him in our worship.
This means that we should also strive for musical excellence. The words that we sing should be reverent, as well as the manner in which we sing them.
“I will also praise you with the harp
for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praises to you with the lyre,
O Holy One of Israel.
My lips will shout for joy,
when I sing praises to you;
my soul also, which you have redeemed.”
Psalm 71:22–23
The Bible mentions several instruments that were used in worship in the Old Testament - the lyre, the harp, cymbals, horns, trumpets. They were played loudly and joyfully in praise to the Lord (1 Chronicles 15:16).
At Providence, we strive to be reverent in the style of our worship music. We have one pianist, one violinist, and one flutist play each Sunday morning, and they do a wonderful job accompanying congregational singing.
However, I think there is a misconception these days, especially in modern evangelicalism, that hymns are unrelatable and stiff. But reverence doesn’t equal a lack of emotion. In fact, a right view of who God is should drive us to more authentic, humble worship.
Try singing the first verse of “Be Still, My Soul” without feeling any emotion:
Be still, my soul! The Lord is on your side:
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to your God to order and provide;
In every change He faithful will remain.
Be still my soul! Your best, your heav’nly Friend
Thro’ thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
If you do find yourself emotionless and bored singing hymns and Psalms in worship, I encourage you to familiarize yourself with the song selections beforehand. Read the Scripture references associated with them. Pray the verses.
There are also some incredible stories and testimonies behind the writing of most hymns, and reading them makes them even more meaningful. Our family has enjoyed the book Our Hymns, Our Heritage, which is a student guide to hymns and shares biographies of both the hymn writer and tune writer for many popular hymns.
3 | Corporate Singing
Not only should our worship be biblically faithful and reverent, but it should also encourage congregational singing.
Both Psalms and hymns are meant to be sung. The word ‘sing’ occurs over sixty times in the Psalms, and the best hymns were written with the human voice in mind.
Singing has always been a primary element of Christian worship! Jesus sang the Psalms! We’re told that Jesus and his disciples sang a hymn on the way to the Mount of Olives right before he was arrested (Mark 14:26).
Therefore, it is the responsibility of churches to do their best to encourage corporate singing. The music should not distract from congregational singing, but rather it should support it, because the human voice should be the primary instrument in worship!
So if your commitment is to be a singing church, then it makes sense to prioritize Psalms and hymns in worship.
4 | Heritage
When you are singing Psalms and hymns in worship, you're singing the same timeless truths about God that His people have sung for hundreds and thousands of years. And yet, they continue to be every bit as relevant today as they were then!
Paul S. Jones made this point when he wrote,
“[Hymns and psalms] represent the corporate voice of God’s people, over the span of many generations, responding to his Word, to creation, to teaching, to creeds, to truth. Good Christian hymns help protect us from a theology-of-the-moment, and they bolster our knowledge of God.” - Paul S. Jones, Singing and Making Music: Issues in Church Music Today
As Jones points out there is a natural temptation toward a “theology-of-the-moment.” Too often our theology can be driven by things like social media or our even well-intentioned friends, and if we’re not careful, our understanding of God can become more culturally driven than biblically driven.
But Psalms and hymns have stood the test of time to help believers resist the temptation toward a “theology-of-the-moment.”
But even more than that, when believers sing Psalms and hymns they’re joining with the saints over the last two millennia. There is a rich musical heritage that believers are tapping into whenever they sing wonderful Psalms and hymns of the faith. Christianity is thousands of years old, so it makes sense to tap into the glorious heritage that we have been given.
5 | Diversity
Lastly, singing Psalms and hymns tap into the history of the church and the diverse origins and backgrounds of believers from all over the world. Consider a few examples:
“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” was written by the German reformer Martin Luther (1483–1546) in 1529.
“All Creatures of Our God and King” was written by the Italian monk St. Francis of Assisi (1182–1226) in 1225.
“Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee” is attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux (1091–1153).
And, oldest of all is “All Glory, Laud, and Honor,” which was written by Theodulph of Orleans (760–821).
Additionally, “Father, Long Before Creation” is a translated Chinese hymn.
Not only are these hymns Biblically rooted, but they also capture both geographic and historical diversity that is often neglected in modern evangelicalism, which focuses almost exclusively on Americanized modern music.
The church has a responsibility to tap into its rich lyrical history that spans both time and geography.
So when it comes to choosing the songs we sing in worship, why wouldn’t we choose Psalms and hymns that are rich with theological depth, revere our holy God, encourage congregational singing, and have been sung by saints around the world throughout the centuries?
