Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.

— Psalm 96:1

Whenever my Aunt Rosemary was working in the kitchen, she would sing. I don’t remember whether the songs were popular tunes, hymns, or made-up melodies, but they were lovely. Whenever I went there to play with my cousins, I could count on hearing her beautiful voice.Singing is a great way to engage the mind with goodness (assuming the song doesn’t celebrate some kind of evil). This is why the Bible calls on us to sing to God and glorify him. The pleasant sounds of our voices give honor and glory to God as we sing biblical songs. Even if the songs we sing are not specifically Christian, our voices glorify our Creator just as the buzzes of bees and the songs of birds do.Not all of us have beautiful voices, but that doesn’t matter. A voice raised to heaven is a voice beautified in heaven.Singing is known to engage our minds at the deepest levels. Even in the last days of her life with Alzheimer’s disease, my mother-in-law could sing old hymns she had learned in her youth. She didn’t know where she was, but she still remembered the words and the tunes of those songs.Our thoughts can be put to good use in song. Composing music and lyrics in honor of the Lord who gives us life and blesses us with all good things, we can apply our whole selves in praise to God. We can lift up our hearts and voices and sing!

“Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; praise him, all creatures here below; praise him above, you heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.” Amen.