I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will make music. Psalm 101:1

Music has always been a part of my life. It feels like a part of the DNA of the Appalachian Mountains, threading through generations of people who took their storytelling and set it to a melody. Some heart wrenching. Some Joy building. Others just funny. Each touching some piece of history, hurt, or hope that bleeds into almost any moment of our lives.

My parents sang together in church. My six siblings, and I took up the mantle, forming a gospel group that visited churches all over our area for over 10 years. There’s something about music that not only connects us to a history or culture, but that provides another means of emotional expression when words sometimes fail.

The Psalms do this don’t they? We read story-songs and histories, but the psalmists also delve into deepest grief, bone-rattling fear, and heart-swelling joy. These songs connect us to people who lived thousands of years ago because our human desires, needs, and failures remain much the same. If you feel an emotion, there’s likely a psalm that speaks to it.

Beautiful Psalms

Here are a few things that make the Psalms all the more beautiful for us.

1. They meet us where we are. Whether that is feeling abandoned parentheses (Ps. 88), fearful (Ps. 56), wronged by injustice (Ps. 69), or stung by betrayal (Ps. 55), the Psalms do not shy away from the hardest of emotions. They acknowledge what we feel.

2. They remind us we are not alone. Some of the Psalms are so raw they’re uncomfortable – because they feel so real. But isn’t that how our hearts are at times? We need to know we’re not alone, and the Psalms give us that authenticity.

3. They point us back to God. No matter the emotion or circumstance, each Psalm redirect our perspective from those unpredictable and sometimes consuming emotions back to the Faithful One who can carry them. And when our perspective settles back on how much God loves us – and on the knowledge that He is in control – that leads us to praise.

So whether you’re a singer and a musician or a speech “joyful noisemaker” open the Psalms and let them do what music has always done: meet you right where you are, remind you that you belong to a story far bigger than your own, and draw your heart back to the one who wrote it. Whatever you’re carrying today grief fear, gratitude, or wonder there’s a song waiting for you there. And it’s been waiting for a very long time.