OPINION —
Occasionally someone may be described as “living in the doldrums.” That means the person has the blues and is sad, depressed and lethargic. It’s not an uncommon experience. Most of us have days when despondency drains joy and energy from our lives.
Since I know what it’s like to wallow in the swamp of gloom, I want to tell you about a remedy that works wonders for me. Start praising God in song while you are alone.
Yes, I know the Psalmist David says, “Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints” (Psalm 149:1). The problem with that is that the saints only assemble and sing one day a week so there are six other days when singing alone is an option.
It’s important to skip sad songs like “I’m so lonesome I could cry.” Singing, “Did you ever see a robin weep when leaves begin to die? Like me, he’s lost the will to live. I’m so lonesome, I could cry,” won’t help you overcome sadness.
If you want to sing one of Hank’s songs, then choose “I saw the light.” I love that song because Hank keeps singing, “Praise the Lord.” That’s the strength of this singing remedy — praising the Lord in song is truly exhilarating. It’s energizing. It’s like shouting “Hallelujah” in song.
And guess what the English translation of the Hebrew word for Hallelujah is. It’s “Praise the Lord.” So when you begin singing about your gratitude to God for His blessings, you are surrounding your praise with Hallelujahs.
Sing the Psalms because the words, “Praise the Lord,” is used 31 times in the Psalms, 13 times in the final 150th Psalm. Believe me, if you want to get sadness off your back, start shouting Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah. It works for me.
Take Psalm 147, for example. Make up your own tune and start singing:
Praise the Lord.
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him.
The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers in exiles of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.
Great is our Lord and mighty in power, his understanding has no limits.
The Lord sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground.
Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp.
He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain
And make grass grow on the hills.
He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.
His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
Nor his delight in the legs of a man;
The Lord delights in those who fear him, and put their hope
In his unfailing love.
One night, alone in a hospital bed, anxious about surgery planned for the next morning, I sang that Psalm out loud. His peace and joy filled my room — and my heart. And I started singing one of my favorite songs:
I will not be afraid, I will not be afraid,
I will look upward, and travel onward, and not be afraid.
His peace filled my heart so full there was no room left for fear.
Choose songs of faith that will help you praise the Lord. One of my favorites was written as a poem by a 16-year-old boy after his conversion. His name was William Featherston. He lived in Montreal, Canada. He shared the poem with his grandmother who lived in California. Years later, A. J. Gordon added a melody to it and it has been sung by believers all over the world.
The song has been stored in my memory bank since childhood and I sing it often, aloud when I am alone, to express my gratitude to God for my salvation and my love for Jesus. Singing a teenage boy’s words is a beautiful way to praise the Lord:
My Jesus, I love thee, I know thou art mine;
For thee all the follies of sin I resign;
My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art thou;
If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, ‘tis now.
I love thee because thou hast first loved me
And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree;
I love thee for wearing the thorns on thy brow;
If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, ‘tis now.
I’ll love thee in life, I will love thee in death,
And praise thee as long as thou lendest me breath,
And say when the deathdew lies cold on my brow:
If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, ‘tis now.
In mansions of glory and endless delight,
I’ll ever adore thee in heaven so bright;
I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow:
If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, ‘tis now.
Yes, I can testify with joy: Praising the Lord in song when you are alone is a passageway out of the doldrums into the energizing joy of the Lord. It really is exhilarating. Hallelujah.
Altar Call | Sing praise to God when you are alone
