Proverbs: A Study of Wisdom and Folly for 31 DaysSample

Happy Songs and Sad People

Despite hundreds of new Christian songs of every possible genre being composed every year, the ancient Psalms continue to occupy a significant place in the worship diet of many Christians.

Why are such old songs so helpful for modern life? What explains their enduring appeal? I believe the main reason is their therapeutic value; in a day of so many disordered emotions, worshipers are discovering how the Psalms minister powerfully to their emotional lives.

How do the Psalms minister to our emotions? We’ll look at that in a moment, but first, let’s listen to some sad songs that harm us.

Happy Songs Can Make Us Sadder (25:20)

“Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, and like vinegar on soda” (25:20). If you’ve ever been depressed, you know exactly what Professor Wisdom is talking about here. You’re in Eeyore depths when in bounds Tigger: “Stop being gloomy and let’s bounce!” he sings. Then in comes hyper Helen singing worship songs as she sits in the cubicle beside you.

It’s like someone has just stripped off all your clothes in a blizzard or poured vinegar into your Coke. You feel worse than ever, and your resentment grows over their cheerful spirit and smiles. “Cheer up,” they say, “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” You just want to curl up and die.

Joy jars the sad soul.

What can help us out of our pit? Sad songs. That’s where the Psalms come in.

Sad Songs Can Make Us Happier

The Psalms are emotional. John Calvin called the Psalms “‘an anatomy of all parts of the soul’; for there is not an emotion of which anyone can be conscious that is not here represented as in a mirror. Or rather, the Holy Spirit has here drawn to life all the griefs, sorrows, fears, doubts, hopes, cares, perplexities, in short, all the distracting emotions with which the minds of men are wont to be agitated.”

The Psalms are realistic. If your worship songs jar with your life, if they feel idealistic, artificial, and superficial, you need the Psalms’ honest and realistic portrayal of the often raw and painful reality of the Christian life. What a relief to encounter real life and real people and real feelings in a worship song. They help us to “get real” with ourselves, with others, and with God.

The Psalms are therapeutic. Attempting to suppress all our emotions is dangerous and damaging. The Psalms open the pressure valve of our hearts; they encourage us to lift the lid of our souls and be transparent and authentic. But they also direct us in how to express and articulate our emotions before God in a worshipful way.

The Psalms are transformational. The Psalms let us put all our feelings on the table, but they also help us sort them out, challenge them, and even change them. By putting words on our emotions, we are enabled to see them more clearly, discern whether they are appropriate or not, understand where they are coming from, discover their roots, identify any falsehoods that are driving them, and find the truths of God that will begin to heal and help them.

The Psalms are healing for our feelings.

Changing Our Story with God’s Story

The Psalms were written by Christ for Christ and for Christians. Through the years, Christ and his people have fellowshipped with God and with each other in the peaks and troughs of the Psalms. Ultimately it’s finding Christ in the Psalms that helps us find comfort in the Psalms.

Summary: How do the Psalms minister to our emotions? Use the Psalms to express and transform your deep sadness into realistic joy.

Question: What psalm has helped you to feel better?

Prayer: Heavenly Composer, thank you for the Psalms, which you gave to help Christ and his people through deep darkness and into light and laughter.