Dear TRA Families,
Have you ever wondered why we sing these “old songs” out of a book that looks like a hymnal but is instead fondly referred to as the “Psalter?”
Why don’t we sing more modern worship songs that are more of a reflection of the churches most of us attend on Sunday mornings?
Singing is a big part of life at The River Academy. As I write this note, I am being serenaded by the third grade class singing a song about the book of Judges in the Old Testament. What a beautiful sound! And while singing is a fun way to make learning enjoyable, it actually has ancient roots in the realm of education—particularly the inculcation of spiritual truths into the hearts and minds of young people.
If you look in your Bible at the heading of most Psalms, they give a description of who wrote it, what the circumstances were surrounding it, and often when to sing it. Psalms 120-134 all have the heading titled “a song of ascents.” These psalms were the ones that all of Israel would sing on their way “up” to Jerusalem to celebrate the various festivals each year. Picture this: a huge caravan of people walking up the hill toward Jerusalem singing “I lift my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth,” (Psalm 121:1-2) or, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord,’” (Psalm 122:1).
What a beautiful picture; God’s people walking and singing on their way up the mountain to worship and feast with one another.
Though not quite as dramatic of an image, this is similar to the view I have each Monday morning when we gather in the sanctuary to sing Psalms. Psalm singing has been a rich tradition at TRA over the last 24 years. Here are three reasons why I LOVE singing the Psalms with our students:
The Psalms are the prayer book of the Bible. By regularly singing these Psalms, we are teaching our students to pray without them even knowing it. I can say that even for me, I find myself regularly calling out to God in the words of a Psalm that we sing here regularly.
Singing is the most powerful tool for putting things to memory. Finish this sentence: “Here comes the… “ or, “But I still haven’t…” I bet you were able to name both of those songs I just quoted. We don’t even have to try to memorize songs; it happens naturally. By singing these Psalms with students every morning, we are hiding God's word in their hearts.
The Psalms help us process life's ups and down in a way that reflects God’s heart. The Psalms contain the entire spectrum of life’s emotions: “O Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth,” (Psalm 8:1). “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me,” (Psalm 23:4). By regularly singing these songs, we are helping our students process the gamut of emotions that life will undoubtedly throw at them, through the lens of faith—and more importantly—God’s faithfulness.
We sing Psalms together as an entire school every Monday morning. Now that we are using the church sanctuary for Psalm singing, we have more than enough room for parents to join. Next time you drop your children off on a Monday morning, stick around and be blessed by hearing these students sing their hearts out to God through the Psalms.
Have a great week,
Eric
