This Lenten season, our church journeyed through a rich and meaningful theme inspired by the 40-day devotional Soundtrack by John David Walt of Seedbed. It’s a beautifully curated playlist through the Psalms—the ancient sounds of God’s people offered in rhythm and rhyme, through voice and instrument, lifted up in worship to the One and Only: our Creator, our Rescuer, our Redeemer, and our King.

The Psalms are more than poetry; they’re a holy playlist stretching from the time of the pop-up tabernacle in the wilderness to the majestic temple of Solomon—songs for every season of the soul.

But what is it about music that makes it so powerful?

Music adds strength to a story.
Think about it—the #10 movie soundtrack of all time is Disney’s The Lion King. Can you even picture the story without humming Hakuna Matata or hearing Rafiki’s iconic shout as he presents baby Simba? And the #1 movie soundtrack? Whitney Houston’s The Bodyguard. Unforgettable. Whose workout playlist doesn’t include Rocky’s Eye of the Tiger?

Music stirs our emotions.
Just a few notes of Garth Brooks’ Callin’ Baton Rouge and I’m transported back to LSU—friends, classes, football games on humid Saturday nights. Music has that power. Think of alma maters at national championships, songs played at memorials of loved ones, or the national anthem at the Olympics—each one stirs something deep in us.

Music helps us remember.
It shapes the soundtrack of our lives: the first dance at a wedding, a lullaby hummed by a tired mama in the middle of the night, or a family favorite like You Are My Sunshine. My high school years were set to Fleetwood Mac, Bread, and the movie soundtrack of Grease. My young mama days? Wayne Watson and Amy Grant. We even learned civics with Schoolhouse Rock (“I’m just a bill, yes I’m only a bill…”), and we remember the Fruit of the Spirit through a hand-jive rhythm.

In Scripture, as God’s people ascended to worship in Jerusalem, they sang the Songs of Ascent—15 psalms, psalm 120-135, preparing their hearts for communal worship through a shared ministry of presence, food, music, sacrifice, repentance, and their shared identity as God’s people. As one of our pastors shared last Sunday, “These are songs worth singing.” I have a Spotify Sunday Hype playlist I sing to at the top of my lungs on my drive into church every week which includes songs like Church Kids by Natalie Layne, Big God by Terrian, and That’s My King by CeCe Winans.

And now it’s baseball season.
Even little league batters have walk-on songs! So here’s a question for you: What would be your walk-on song? The one that gives you strength, stirs your soul, and tells the world something about who you are and what matters to you?

Music is sticky—it helps us hold onto truth. It brings hope. And it’s a good gift from the Lord to His people.

So go ahead—sing the song.

“Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’” Psalm 126:2