“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.” (Jam. 5:13).
Thomas Ford said, “It is ignorance of a man’s self, and the ways of God, to think any Psalm is unsuitable to any man’s condition, if he is especially a good Christian.” This is an important note on understand the Psalms. Some Psalms set forth the attributes, excellencies and works of God and his Christ. These minister an occasion of reverence, blessing, praising, admiring and adoring God. Some set forth the estate and ways of the Church and people of God; some their miseries, calamities, sorrows and sufferings; these offer to us matter of compassion, instruction, imitation: some set forth the estate and ways of wicked men; and in these we have a word of admonition, some are excellent to express our own affections, afflictions, sufferings, comforts, and then a man is furnished with matter and words to present his own condition before the Lord.”
It is a great mistake to think, I may not sing a Psalm, because it does not expose my condition or affection; say it does not, as for instance you are not sick, or sensible of God’s wrath as David was when he penned the 6th Psalm; or you have not committed adultery and murder as David had done when he penned the 51st Psalm; or you have not a house to dedicate, as he had when he penned the 13th Psalm; or you are not put to it as he was when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, and then afterwards penned the 34th Psalm; what then? Will you not therefore sing these Psalms, or do you think they do not concern you? You may as well forbear to read them on the same grounds; yes, you may as well forbear to read some parts of Paul’s epistles, because you never traveled in Asia, or had to do with Alexander the coppersmith, or fought with beasts at Ephesus, or left a cloak at Troas, as Paul did. There is no necessity when we read those scriptures, that we should be in every respect as Paul was that penned them; we read them to learn out of them what the Holy Spirit has recorded for our learning; and so we sing the Psalms, that do not set forth our conditions in particular, for our instruction, admonition, consolation, there being no Psalm, or part of a Psalm, that does not have something for our learning.
God commands us that we sing psalms. “Let him sing psalms.” (Jam. 5:13). “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Col. 3:16). Do you sing to adore God with His word from the Psalms? Does your devotional life include singing?
This may serve to satisfy those who are afraid that they lie in singing those passages of the Psalms which do not express their condition in particular. Thomas Ford, The Usefulness of Singing Psalms.
Contemplation:
O! my soul, why are You so silent? Awake, and sing aloud of the praises of God, whose greatness is infinite, eternal, incomprehensible, You cannot by searching find Him out. But cause me to magnify His work, which men behold. Every man may see it. Man may behold it afar off.
O! my soul, is deliverance from spiritual thraldom to be found in Jesus Christ, then inquire after Him, and seek to know Him with gladness. The name Jesus is sweet, honey in the mouth, melody in the ear, a Jubilee in the heart. What a servant was he that knew not his master’s name? Is not he unworthy the benefit of redemption, that will not vouchsafe to inquire who has paid his ransom? O! my soul, fly to Christ, in whom you shall find deliverance from all spiritual thraldom.
