Back in “my day” (I suddenly feel 90), we called them “devotional songs.” I suppose today they’d be considered “praise and worship” songs. While they weren’t sung often—at youth groups and rallies, sometimes one here or there on a Sunday night–they inspired me. Many were mini creeds, which is kind of funny coming from a group of believers who adamantly asserted that we “have no creed but Christ.” However, really, a creed is only a statement of belief, and how is this song anything other than that?
Jesus is Lord,
My Redeemer.
How He loves me.
How I love Him.
He is risen.
He is coming.
Lord, come quickly.
Alleluia.
Others were more scripture put to music.
Seek ye first the kingdom of God…
Four-part harmony sometimes, men and women singing different parts other times. Those songs filled an empty spot in my “spiritual service.” Confession here: for a time, I was convinced we needed to sing more of them and fewer hymns. Not because I didn’t like hymns. Not because I thought hymns were too old fashioned. I just really liked the emotional connection to some of them.
That’s when I discovered two things.
- What I really loved most was seeing Scripture in the words and
- I’d sung the hymns by rote for so long and from such a young age that I really hadn’t paid much attention to them.
However, really paying attention to the hymns was all it took for me to rekindle my love for them. Hey, I even wrote a character who sings them at appropriate moments.
But it never took away my love for singing Scripture.
Then, while I was at my friend’s house this fall, I opened a book that was different from most musical offerings. A woman had taken the Psalms and written them with the right meter to fit familiar hymns. We could sing the psalms to tunes we already know.
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Can You Sing Favorite Hymns & Psalms at the Same Time?
You can now. L.L. Larkin has reworked the psalms to fit modern rhyme and meter and to tunes that hymn-loving Christians will be familiar with. Imagine singing “It Is Well with My Soul” but the words are closely based on Scripture!
I did not take the time to go through every single song in the book, but the two or three that I picked out at random didn’t have any alarming discrepancies. As far as I can tell, the author took no liberties in that regard.
The paperback was neatly arranged and easy to follow, but when I tried to look at the Kindle version using Kindle Unlimited, the book wasn’t available due to quality issues. I hope it will be back, soon.
A perfect gift for your favorite song leader, Bible study teacher, or anyone who loves the good old hymns. Recommended with the small caveat that I haven’t checked accuracy in each one, but I don’t see evidence of needing to be concerned. So glad I requested and received this free review copy. I’ll be purchasing a full set for my own library.
About the Book
Book: Psalm Hymns, Volume Five, Psalms 107-150
Author: L.L. Larkins
Genre: Non-Fiction
Release Date: July 10, 2019
You’ve landed on the final book of Biblical Psalms in the Psalm Hymns series, Volume Five, Psalms 107-150 contains singable, recitable psalms in full form, adapted from the Biblical Psalms.
In this last volume of the Psalm Hymns series, you are offered a method for singing book V of the Biblical Psalms. Maybe your favorite psalm is included.
There are some sticky psalms, like Psalm 119- King David’s love poem to God’s law. You can ask yourself while singing it, why the law is important to a King.
Psalm 137 is full of bile and bitterness, written by the remnant captives after the desolation of Jerusalem. But there are also the most lyrical and beautiful of praises for the eternal rule of God found in the Psalms of Ascent and in Psalm 107 and Psalm 136.
Psalm 139 is the lyrical ode and articulate description of God knitting our bodies together in secret, and how He watches over and cares for us no matter where we go.
The Celebration Psalms finish out the entire book of Psalms and Psalm Hymns series as a grand finale.
This sounds awesome! We used to play cassette tapes (ok, I’ m not 90 -yet – but I’m sure I’m much closer than than you are!!! ) to help my kids memorize Bible verses set to music. Music speaks to the soul and remains even when many other memories are lost! (dementia / Alzheimer ) sad sigh. So glad to find out about this.
This sounds really good! We sing from a Reformed songbook at church, and a lot of the songs are the Psalms, set to music, but our family doesn’t know them very well.
I love this! Music speaks to the heart in a special way and when you can incorporate scripture into it, it gives the music so much more depth. I enjoy some of the modern day hymn writers like the Gettysburg or Matt Boswell because they stick so closely to scripture. I will have to get my own copy of this.
Sorry, auto correct struck again. I meant the Gettys.
Of course you can sing the psalms! I took so many courses both undergrad and seminary that I hope I got that lesson. The psalms WERE the church’s first hymnbook. And a lot of theologians (Richard Foster, Walter Bruggeman, CS Lewis) have, and continue to parse them out. And don’t forget the Cantors