The Bible Edge
Everyone needs an Edge, Believers can have a Bible Edge
Ephesians 5:19
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
“There’s within my heart a melody, Jesus whispers sweet and low: Fear not, I am with thee, peace, be still, In all of life’s ebb and flow. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know, Fills my every longing, Keeps me singing as I go.”
This is the first stanza and chorus of the old hymn “He Keeps me Singing.” It’s a hymn of a spiritual nature. Any song focusing on spiritual truths as found in God’s Word can be a spiritual song. There are songs that are not hymns, but they are spiritual. For example, “Let’s Talk about Jesus” is not a hymn but rather a purely spiritual song. Hymns are usually sung as a prayer of adoration to a deity. “Let’s Talk about Jesus” is a song reminding the singer of a spiritual need to remember and speak about Him.
God’s Word mentions spiritual songs twice. Each has a different purpose. The first mention is in today’s verse. Herein its purpose is to the individual singing it. By singing a psalm, hymn, or spiritual song a person is speaking (communicating) with themselves. This can be done anywhere, at any time, out loud, or in the soul.
Years ago, a man asked me to attend his court appearance. He was on trial and was fearful of the outcome. He said that my being there would bring him comfort. As his pastor I did attend that hearing for this new convert to Christ. Before we entered the court, I asked the man if he knew any spiritual songs. He said he knew “Jesus loves me” because his mother sang it to him as a boy. I recommended that when things became difficult in the hearing to sing that silently to himself, and it would help. It did get bad, and he did sing that song over and over and said it helped him get through the trial. He sang to himself a spiritual song.
There are times when we are very much like King David. He was in a bad way. The Amalekites had invaded Ziklag, burning it and carrying away the wives and children of David’s men captive. Upon finding this out, David and his men cried until they had no more power to cry. It was so bad that the men discussed stoning their king. When he heard this, it must have brought some fear to David. He was alone and scared. But the Bible says that …David encouraged himself in the Lord His God. (I Samuel 30:6) After which he prayed for direction, obeyed the Lord, and recovered all alive.
Now we do not know exactly what David did to encourage himself in the Lord. But as he was called the sweet psalmist of Israel, he wrote many of the psalms in our Bible, and he could play the harp, he probably sang to himself songs, hymns, and spiritual songs. After all there was no one else there to sing with him, for the women and children were carried away and his men wanted to kill him. He had an Edge. He had a song to sing, a spiritual song, a melody in his heart. Do you?
William T. Howe, Ph.D.
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