| “Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord…” |
| —Psalm 130:1a |
In ancient times, Jews traveled to Jerusalem three times each year to observe special feast days. Walking in family groups, these pilgrims eased their long journey by singing Psalms. These special Psalms, known as the “Psalms of Ascent,” include Psalms 120 through 134.
Singing these Psalms helped the pilgrims on their journey. But, these Psalms also taught valuable lessons to the children, reinforced those lessons for the adults, and celebrated the goodness of God to His people. That’s the beauty of Psalms: they instruct, they evoke positive expressions of joy, and they tend to solidify the bonding of love between those who sing or recite them together. Here’s one example from Psalm 130:1-8:
Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.
You can imagine how the Jewish pilgrims walking to Jerusalem were buoyed in their spirits by this Psalm. To sing this Psalm and celebrate their salvation must have lightened their steps and brought joy to their hearts. Surely, the singing of Psalms made the long journey to Jerusalem much more pleasant than it might have been otherwise.
Today, whenever we sing about the goodness of the Lord, we will surely feel the load that weighs on our hearts lighten, too. Music is yet one more wonderful gift that we have so graciously received from the God who loves us. Let us take full advantage of every opportunity we have to sing praises to God, as we walk along the pathway on our journey of life.
Originally posted on Tuesday, February 24, 2015
