Psalm 147:1 “Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.”
When times are good and when times are bad, “it is good to sing praises unto our God”! Our “born again” (John 3:1-8) hearts inherently yearn to “Praise ye the LORD” in all circumstances. There are times when pain and despair and discouragement and fear sit upon us like a doleful cloud, yet “it is good to sing praises unto our God”. And, there are times when we are happy and uplifted and feel no trouble; in such times, “it is good to sing praises unto our God”. The Psalmist tells us that “it is good to sing praises unto our God” and then he fills his Psalm with reasons why “it is good”. The first two reasons the Psalmist gives us to “Praise ye the LORD”; are that “it is pleasant” and it “is comely”. To “Praise” is to delightfully speak highly of and to “the LORD” with jubilation and happiness and joy and love and respect and submission and excitement etc. To “sing” is to make those resonant sounds that echo joy in our hearts and Glory to God. The words we “sing” ride high and lovely upon the pleasing resonant sounds, directing our minds toward our God and to the great and wonderful things He has done, is doing, and will do; all to His glory and our joyful benefit. Singing indelibly imprints the Grace of God upon the hearts and minds of His Beloved Children. Several times, I have personally observed those who are in the latter stages of the Alzheimer’s Disease, who could not even tell you their own name; but, when “Amazing Grace” is sung in their presence, their precious faces light up and they begin to sing the words as if they were reading them out of the hymnal. Singing helps imprint the Word of God upon our hearts and minds! Singing “praises unto our God” “is pleasant” to us; for it pushes back the dark clouds of misery and despair. We are charged to “offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Hebrews 13:15); for as with the Old Testament Sacrifices, it is pleasing, a “sweet savour” unto our God. Furthermore, in a world plagued with ugly ungodliness, “praises unto our God” “is comely”; that is, it is beautifully pleasant to our hearts and minds and to “our God” as He cast His Almighty Gaze upon us. Moses declared, “I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.” (Exodus 15:1). The Psalmist also declared, “I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.” (Psalms 9:2) and “I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.” (Psalms 57:9) and “I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.” (Psalms 59:16) and “I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.” (Psalms 89:1) and “I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.” (Psalms 104:33)! In the New Testament, even while in prison, “at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them” (Acts 16:25). And, Paul declared “I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.” (I Corinthians 14:15)! When we “sing” we are privileged to do something that, at this very instant, is being done in Eternal Heaven; John tells us that “they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints” (Revelation 15:3). No matter what our condition is or what state we are in, “it is” always “good to sing praises unto our God”!