Songs of the Soul - Why We Sing
A Devotional on Psalm 98
A friend who was new to Christianity once asked me, “What’s all the singing about in church?”
It’s a fair question. If you step back and think about it, singing is one of the most noticeable—and sometimes puzzling—things Christians do when they gather. We sing whether we feel joyful or tired, hopeful or heavy. We sing when life is good, and we sing when it’s not.
So why do we sing?
Psalm 98 gives us an answer. It reminds us that singing is not about filling space in a church service or stirring emotions for its own sake. Singing is a response. It is what happens when God’s people remember who He is, what He has done and what He will do.
Psalm 98 opens with a command that feels both simple and profound:
“Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things.”
The psalmist does not begin by instructing us how to sing or what style of song to use. Instead, he begins with WHY. We sing because God has acted. Praise is not summoned out of thin air; it is a response to what God has done in history and in our lives.
We sing because God saves
Psalm 98 roots our song in salvation. “His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.” Before there is music, there is rescue. Before there is joy, there is deliverance.
This matters because it reminds us that singing is not emotional self-expression alone. We do not sing merely because we feel joyful; we sing because God is faithful—even when joy feels fragile. The song comes from remembering who God is and what He has done, especially when our circumstances tempt us to forget.
In Christian worship, we hear Psalm 98 through the lens of Christ. God’s salvation has been “made known to the nations” not only in ancient acts of deliverance, but in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. We sing because salvation is not a theory—it has a name, a face, and a story.
We sing to bear witness
Psalm 98 does not keep the song private. The psalmist calls all the earth to shout for joy. Trumpets sound. Music spills outward. Praise becomes proclamation.
This outward movement is why “Joy to the World” exists at all. When Isaac Watts wrote that beloved hymn, he was not composing a Christmas carol in the narrow sense. He was paraphrasing Psalm 98, imagining what it would sound like if the whole world truly rejoiced in the reign of God.
“Joy to the world, the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King.”
Watts understood Psalm 98 as a declaration that God’s kingship demands a response—not only from Israel, but from every corner of creation. When the church sings “Joy to the World,” it is echoing the psalmist’s conviction that praise is itself a form of testimony. Singing becomes a way of saying to the world: God reigns, and that changes everything.
We sing with all creation
One of the most striking movements in Psalm 98 is its widening circle of praise. The call to sing moves from God’s people, to the nations, and then to creation itself: seas roaring, rivers clapping, mountains singing together for joy.
This imagery reminds us that worship is not an escape from the world, but a joining of it as God intends it to be. Creation itself longs for restoration, and its song anticipates the day when everything broken will be made whole.
When we sing, we are not alone. We are joining a much larger chorus—one that includes saints across time and space, and even the created order itself. Worship locates us inside God’s story, reminding us that our lives are part of something far bigger than our private concerns.
We sing because God will set things right
Psalm 98 ends not by looking backward, but forward:
“He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.”
We don’t tend to associate songs of joy & praise with judgement. But in a world full of evil and injustice, the righteousness and justice of God is worth signing about! This is not a threat; it is our hope. We sing because God’s future is good. His justice will be fair. His rule will be right. In a world marked by injustice, suffering, and unresolved pain, singing becomes an act of trust. It declares that history is not random and that evil will not have the final word.
Sometimes we sing through tears. Sometimes we sing with trembling voices. But even then, our song becomes an act of faith—an expression of hope that God’s kingdom is coming and that His reign will bring joy, healing, and peace.
Why do we sing…
We sing because God has done marvelous things.
We sing because salvation has been revealed.
We sing because joy must be shared.
We sing because creation itself is longing for redemption.
We sing because God is coming to set things right.
Whether our voices are strong or weary, polished or plain, Psalm 98 invites us into a deeper truth: singing is not just something we do in worship—it is how hope finds its voice.
So if someone ever asks, “What’s all the singing about?”
This is the answer: because God saves, God reigns—and He is not finished yet.
Reflection Questions
- When you think about singing in worship, what emotions or experiences come most naturally to you—joy, discomfort, longing, habit, resistance?
- Psalm 98 says we sing because God “has done marvelous things.” What specific acts of God—past or present—give you reason to sing, even if your circumstances are difficult?
- The psalm calls all the earth to rejoice. How does that expand your understanding of worship beyond a church gathering?
- In what ways might singing be an act of faith or hope for you right now, rather than simply an expression of how you feel?
- Isaac Watts wrote “Joy to the World” as a response to Psalm 98, imagining a world rejoicing in God’s reign. Where do you long to see more evidence of that joy and justice in your own life or community?
Closing Prayer
Gracious God,
You have done marvelous things, and we give You praise.
You have saved, restored, and revealed Your righteousness to the world through Jesus Christ.
Teach us to be a people who sing—not only with our voices, but with our lives.
When joy comes easily, let our singing be grateful praise.
When joy feels distant, let our singing become an expression of our hope.
When the world feels dark, let our song be an act of defiant faith.
We sing because You reign.
We sing because You save.
We sing because You are worthy.
Amen.