Psalms 13: Sing to the Lord out of Joy!

“I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.”
                      Psalms 13:6 (KJV)

Hi friends,
     How are you?  I hope you are well.  We are now at the last verse in Psalms 13.  We have seen negative emotions in the first few verses.  In Psalms 13:5 and now in Psalms 13:6, we see more happy and joyful emotions.  Let’s ponder this verse as we wrap up our series on Psalms 13.

Psalms 13:6 May be a Continuation of Psalms 13:5:

     If we read Psalms 13:5 and Psalms 13:6, it is easy to see that they may go together.  Psalms 13:6 may even be a continuation of Psalms 13:5.  Let’s read them both together. 
 
“But I have trusted in thy mercy; by heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.  I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.”
                                                                 Psalms 13:5-6 (KJV)
 
     In the beginning of Psalms 13, we see a depiction of what it’s like when God seems far away and doesn’t seem to be listening to our prayers.  The feelings were sad and desperate.  Psalms 13:5 is the turning point in the psalm.  The feeling isn’t that of sadness anymore. 

     Psalms 13:5 seems to be a breakthrough in faith.  After a time of feeling far from God, it seems to be a remembrance and acknowledgement that even though God has seem far before, He is trustworthy and gives us salvation.  God is faithful in being a loving Father to us.  He has mercy on us.

     Psalms 13:6 goes on from that remembrance and acknowledgement of God’s mercy, faithfulness, trustworthiness, and love.  Psalms 13:6 shows what we can do when we feel that love, trust, faithfulness, and mercy.  It shows what we can do when we acknowledge how much God does for us and when we rejoice in the salvation God gives us.  We can sing!  (Yes, even those who don’t carry a tune well can sing or at least make a joyful noise as we read in Psalms 100:1.)

God Gives Us So Much:

     It may not feel like it when we go through difficult times, but God gives us so much.  He blesses us, gifts us things, provides for us, loves us, leads us, and so much more.  It is no wonder that we are told to count our blessings, even when we are down.  Even in the depths of our despair, God gives us so much.  God offers us a multitude of both earthly blessings and heavenly blessings. 

     If we sit down and take inventory of every little thing and every single person that comes into our lives, if we look around us and see God’s creations, if we acknowledge that God created us, if we realize all the intricate cycles and systems God created in the world and in every living person, animal, plant, and organism, then we can start to realize just how much God does give us.  The heavenly gift such as salvation and eternal life are things that we can’t even begin to imagine yet, so we can’t even completely recognize all that God does for us.  Also, sadly, we often take God’s blessings and gifts for granted or overlook the fact that the gifts are even from God. 
 
     However, once we start to count our blessings and recognize all that God does for us, even in times of great hardship we can have hope.  We can hold onto the fact that God has great power and love.  We can hold onto the fact that God loves us and provides for us greatly.  We can have hope and trust that God will get us through difficult times, love us, and provide us with all our needs, even before we actually see it happen.

Singing for Joy:

     Have you ever felt so happy that you just felt like singing (or making that joyful noise)?  I think that is what David was describing in Psalms 13:6.  Because he knows that God has been so good to him and has given him so much, he can and will sing with for joy to God. 

     Isn’t that the same thing we are doing when we sing and worship God at church?  We are glorifying God for his wondrous works and love.  At church, it may not be as spontaneous as what David is describing though.

     I know that I have sometimes just spontaneously started singing.  Have you?  It is a nice feeling.  I don’t remember the specifics, but I remember they were happy times.

God’s Word:

     Sometimes when we read God’s Word, we lose something or miss something when we don’t look at a passage or chapter as a whole.  Let’s look at Psalms 13 in its entirety.
 
“(To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.) How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?  How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?  Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.  But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.  I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.”
                                                                                               Psalms 13 (KJV)
 
     It is easier to see the pattern of feelings and cycle of faith when we look at Psalms 13 as a whole.  We can see and feel the lowness that David describes in the beginning of the psalm and the great joy at the end of the psalm.  We can see how our feelings seem to change depending on how far or how close we feel we are to God.  We can see that it isn’t that God has moved far away, but that we move ourselves farther away from God or closer to God as our foci, beliefs, and attitudes change. 

     Another thing I like to do to understand God’s Word better is to research and pray about the customs of the times.  For example, because of the singing mentioned at the end of the psalm, I looked up some of the customs about singing in biblical times.  There are many outside sources of the customs surrounding singing in biblical times as well as various verses in God’s Word.  I invite you to do your own research to see if it adds to your understanding as well.
 
Heavenly Father,
     Thank you for your Holy Word.  Thank you for being our Heavenly Father, our Provider, and our Creator.  Thank you for the multitude of gifts and blessings you give us, both earthly and heavenly, including life itself.  Help us to keep these gifts and blessings in mind, from the smallest earthly gift to the largest and most awesome heavenly gift.  Help us to count our blessings and thank you and praise you continuously out of love and joy.  I ask you this through your Son, Jesus.  Amen.

If you missed other posts in the series, you may want to go back and read them now.  Here they are:
*Psalms 13: Crying Out to God
*Psalms 13: When God Seems Far, Do We Fend for Ourselves?
*Psalms 13: Crying for Life Over Death
*Psalms 13: Good Versus Evil
*Psalms 13: What has Changed?

If you enjoyed this post, please stay tuned for the rest of the series on Psalms 13.  Also, you might like to read these similar posts:
*Perseverance: It Will Happen in God's Timing
*We are Called to be Careful for Nothing?
*Biblical Encouragement for the Depressed and Discouraged

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