How to Sing The Psalms*
*without needing a sacred music degree
I discovered Reformed Theology almost fifteen years ago. The first taste was through expository preaching and understanding the Doctrines of Grace. Maybe everyone begins that journey with soteriology, but I quickly learned that Calvinism or Reformed Theology was far more than merely understanding salvation. I loved the idea of seeing God’s glory and sovereignty in all of life. Suddenly the entire canon had value for the Christian. While specific areas like eschatology, theonomy and an understanding of the covenants would come later, one aspect that hung me up was the Psalms. Much of the Gospel-Centered movement seemed content to use the Psalms as devotional material. Sure, they were composed as songs, but that seemed to get dismissed by most of the pastors and leaders I followed in the early 2010’s.
Before I had the biblical categories around worship, music, and liturgy, my gut said there had to be more to the Psalms than I was being told or taught. I would come across verses like Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 that command the church to sing Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. And most churches I knew sang spiritual songs, and maybe hymns. But the most obvious of the three-the Psalms-were nowhere to be found. How could this be?
As I look back on these wonderings, I realize that in my theological circles, the job description for most worship leaders was usually a talented musician first, creative personality second, and the need for a solid biblical and theological foundation a very distant third.
Personally, I’m not musical, don’t have a background in music theory and have never desired to be a worship leader in a church with the aforementioned job description. But as I discovered Reformed Theology, I discovered a new appreciation for the rich hymns of the church. The ability of someone like Charles Wesley or Isaac Watts to articulate deep truths set to beautiful melodies is a gift.
Occasionally I would look for resources about singing Psalms. I would search on YouTube for churches singing Psalms, but all I could find were either Scottish Psalm sings that I couldn’t even begin to understand, or a high church like Christ Kirk (Moscow) where everyone was singing in parts and seemed to have been singing Psalms in the womb. I loved it, but how can someone with no musical chops help a congregation with no musical chops begin to delve into the riches of the Psalms for worship?
Fast forward a few years and things seem to have reached a new level among the Reformed crowd. TGC and T4g types have excused themselves from the conversation about serious worship and biblical priorities. Many who came up in the Young, Restless and Reformed crowd like myself, have continued reforming.
It all opened up for me when I came across a church, Hope Baptist (Springfield, MO), who had posted their congregation singing a few Psalms. And they sounded singable. One of the Psalms was even set to the Getty’s ‘In Christ Alone’. I had to know the secret sauce, so I reached out to their pastor, Joshua Jenkins. He graciously emailed me with a few ideas.
They use the Trinity Psalter Hymnal. This is a good choice since it has both Psalms and Hymns, but without being overwhelming or too dense. This Hymnal also has an app ($10 but worth it) that includes the lyrics, sheet music and a midi tune for each song.
Understanding Meter. This was the key that unlocked everything for me. Most hymnals, but not all (looking at you, Hymns of Grace), will include the meter of the song in the bottom left of the page. This is the arrangement of beats in a song. If you know the meter of a familiar song, you can insert that song into any other song with the same meter.
For an example, let’s look at Psalm 100. Take the classic Psalm, Old 100th. The meter is Long Meter (LM), which is also the tune of Doxology. Now you have at least one tune that you can essentially put any song with Long Meter. Obviously the more songs you become familiar with, the variety opens up more, but it’s a simple way to get singing.
Ways to work the Psalms into your life
Beyond the obvious use in Sunday worship, here are a few ways I’ve found or dreamed about working the leaven of the Psalms into the body of Christ.
Personal devotions. I have a terrible voice. I don’t know how to read music or hit the proper notes. But boy, do I love singing Psalms by myself. Reading a Psalm is easy to gloss over the words and ideas. Singing them slows me down and I can better notice the richness of each Psalm (it’s for another time, but the volume of imprecations is noticeably high).
Family Worship. As our youngest has reached reading age, it has enabled us to sing more hymns and Psalms out of books. But even prior to our kids being able to read, we would sing a Psalm like 136 that has a repeated chorus. That way the kids could still sing the line, ‘For his steadfast love endures’, without needing to know the verses.
Other church gatherings. I don’t plan the worship service, but I have been able to work Psalm singing into other church functions like our men’s ministry and corporate prayer nights. It’s a small step to expose others to the richness of the Psalms in sing-able doses.
Reformation Day. This is another small event that I have been able to encourage people to sing hymns and Psalms as a way to connect to the rich history of the church. My hope is that this would lead to other regular events where entire families would delight in singing heartily.
Psalm, beer and pipe nights. A monthly gathering filled with food, drink, Psalms and Longbottom leaf in abundance. In a world where I oversaw worship, this would be a way to practice Psalms and hymns in anticipation for Sunday service.
Soli Deo Gloria!