Right in the middle of the Bible is a hymn book called The Book of Psalms, containing 150 songs that are mostly Psalms of praise. There can be no doubt that God wants us to be full of joy and He alone can heal the malady of sin and put a melody in our hearts! Today thousands of Christian songs of praise rise from the hearts of millions who have found forgiveness through faith in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Each Psalm is appropriate for a certain situation or season. Take for example [Psalm 101]. Here King David, who wrote most of the Psalms, makes 14 resolutions which we can use at the start of the New Year. Here are a few. In verse 1 he resolves to praise God not only for His mercy but also for His judgement. In other words he will never grumble but believe that God has a purpose in everything.

In verse 2 he prays for God to come and help him to be a good husband and father in his own house. In verse 3 he resolves to set nothing wicked before his eyes. Today this could apply to some magazines and TV programmes. In verse 5 he resolves to cut off gossip with the sword of silence! He is following the teaching of [Proverbs 26:20] which says, “Where there is no wood the fire goes out, and where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.”

In verse 7 David writes as an employer and resolves to look out for workers who have proved themselves to be faithful and reliable. He also vowed to never tolerate liars on his staff. David reigned in Jerusalem which he determined to make as immaculate as possible. Jerusalem is a picture of the New Jerusalem in heaven, where there will be no grumbling, gossip or gogglers!