Praise & Psalmody - Week 1: Monday
Psalms 9:2-3
I will give thanks to You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your wondrous things; I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
St. John Chrysostom, Commentary on the Psalms 9.2
This is a particular habit of a lover. Those in love, you know, sing songs to their beloved; even if they are not in sight, they comfort themselves with the song. That is just what the inspired author does. Since it is not possible to see God, he composes songs to him, holding converse with him in song, stirring up desire and gaining the impression of seeing him—or, rather, stirring up the desire of many people through the singing of hymns and songs. In other words, just as lovers recite the praises of their beloved and bandy their names about, exactly so does he.