Overcoming the Blues Through the Psalms, Part 3
- SNE.BCNA
- Jan 12
- 7 min read
“A New Song, Really?” — Psalm 98
January 11, 2026
We continue our sermon series titled “Overcoming the Blues Through the Psalms.” Don’t forget that our sermons always get a little heavier the deeper we go into the series.
Each year, after we go through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, many good Christians will struggle with the blues.
Think of all the emotions you have had in the past two months. Ups and downs. False expectations that were not met. Spent way too much money. Ate way too much food. Watched way too much TV. Worried way too much about football. Top it off with the grief of a lost loved one, the anxiety of all the family time togetherness, and then you must go back to work.
Depression, isolation, grief, sadness, and dread of the day take over many people.
And this is what you must know about the blues. I am not immune to them (the blues), and neither are you. Also, know this: if you are experiencing the blues, this doesn’t mean that you are not saved, this doesn’t mean that you don’t love Jesus, this doesn’t mean that you are doing something wrong. What it means is that you are human, and when you read the Bible, you will discover that many of God’s chosen vessels had some deep moments of the blues and doubt.
What we are doing in this sermon series is giving you a Biblical prescription as to how to overcome the blues using the Book of Psalms in the Bible.
The Biblical Prescription
The Biblical prescription is for you to read the Psalms we preach on Sunday; you read, pray, and study the Psalms each day of the week, and sing, listen to, or read the songs we have printed for you.
Today is Psalm 98. Scholars are not sure who wrote this Psalm, but most will agree when it was written. And the time Psalm 98 was written is very important for you today. Context always brings new life to the text itself.
Why Psalm 98 Matters: The Context
Let me give a brief overview that brings us to Psalm 98. Again, it is very important that you know this.
In the Old Testament, after King Solomon dies, the nation splits into two separate nations: the North and the South. Israel to the North and Judah to the South, and both nations now choose not to follow the Good Shepherd. The North and South rebelled against God. God kept warning and pleading with the nations to come to him, but they didn’t; they refused His voice of truth.
Eventually, the two nations came into war, and were defeated by the Assyrians and the Babylonians, and many of the people were led into slavery in what we know as the Babylonian Captivity, which lasted for 70 years. All of this is recorded for you in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and other Old Testament books.
For 70 years, the blues covered the people like a death pall over a casket.70 years of depression.70 years of isolation from home.70 years of living in a foreign land.70 years of dreaming about the good ole days.70 years of oppression.70 years of not being able to worship in the Temple.70 years of the blues.
It still happens even to this day. We have moments in our life that God seems to be a long distance from us. We struggle to hear His voice. We struggle to pray to Him. We struggle to read His Word. We feel like He is not answering us, so why should we even pray? We struggle to have faith. The fire we once had is now cold, dark, and we have a faithless heart that wonders, is this all real?
Do you know what this is called in the Christian world? A Spanish Catholic priest by the name of St. John of the Cross coined the phrase, “the dark night of the soul.” A struggle of faith.
Listen carefully! From a spiritual point of view, many times God allows us to go through the blues so that some things in us will die, so that we will live in a greater relationship with HIM! The very thing that many of you have prayed for.
Sometimes we have to go through the fire to be purified.“So clean my hands, purify my heart, I wanna burn for You, only for You, Take my life as a sacrifice. I wanna burn for You, only for You.”
Sometimes we have to go through the storms in life to be stronger in life. Sometimes we have to go through the struggles so that we can stand up for Jesus. Sometimes we have to go through the darkness so that we can see the Light. Sometimes wehave tot go through death so we can experience a resurrection. Sometimes we have to go through the blues so that we can celebrate the victory.
After 70 Years… God Ended the Blues
After 70 years, God ended the blues! And yes, He will end yours also.
After 70 years, the people begin to return home out of the darkness. Out of the foreign land. Out of the foreign gods. Out of the oppression. Out of the fire. Out of the storm.
It is in this context that the Psalmist pens Psalm 98. A fan celebrates the winning team with a winning shot. The Psalmist is so excited, he says:
“Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!”
This is a great moment of victory! The darkness is GONE! Do you remember the old song, “Victory in Jesus”
“O victory in Jesus, my Savior, forever!
He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood.
He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him.
He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood!”Sing to the Lord a new song!
Why should we sing a new song to the Lord?
“For He has done wonderful deeds. His right hand has won a mighty victory; His holy arm has shown His saving power.”
1. For His Saving Power
“His holy arm has shown His saving power.”
Do you know you need to be saved? Did you know you cannot save yourself?
You may ask, “Save myself from what?” You cannot save yourself from your sins. Jesus has the saving power! When He died on the cross, He was saving you from your sins. His saving power, fueled by grace and love, has saved you! Sing Him a new song.
Love Lifted Me
.I was sinking deep in sin,
Far from the peaceful shore,
Very deeply stained within,
Sinking to rise no more;
But the Master of the sea,
Heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me,
Now safe am I.
Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help, Love lifted me.
Do you remember the joy you had the day you knew you were saved? What do you need to save from Today? He will do it.
Psalms 98:2-3 (NLT): “The Lord has announced His victory and has revealed His righteousness to every nation! He has remembered His promise to love and be faithful to Israel. The ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.”
Think about this. The verse says, “He has remembered His promise…” Does that mean God forgot His promises? NO! God has not forgotten about you!
He will save you from your sins; just ask Him to. He will save you from loneliness; just ask Him to. He will save you from sadness; just ask Him to. He will save you from your fear, anxiety, animosity, anger, and your doubts; just ask Him to.
SING TO HIM A NEW SONG! His timing is always perfect. Don’t give up, don’t give in, and don’t give out! The blues will not last forever!
The psalmist praises God for this saving power, and He praises God for His glorious return.
2. For His Glorious Return
Psalms 98:4 (NIV): “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;5make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing,6with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn— shout for joy before the Lord, the King.”
Shout to the Lord
My Jesus, my Savior, Lord, there is none like You
My comfort, my shelter, Tower of refuge and strength
Have you ever been a fan on the side of a winning team? How did you respond after the victory? You shout, you clap, you cry, you high-five, you dance, and you chant.
Praise always chases the blues away!
Psalms 98:6b: “…shout for joy before the Lord, the King!”
This Psalm is not only celebrating the return of God’s people to their homeland. Watch this – this Psalm is a foreshadowing of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, our KING!
Psalms 98:7-9 (NIV):Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.8 Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy;9 Let them sing before the Lord, For He comes to judge the earth.He will judge the world in righteousness and the people with equity.
Sing to the Lord a new song.
Let me share this truth with you about worship. Worship is not about a performance; it is about proclamation! A Proclamation.
Our King Jesus rules and reigns, and His love for us moved Him to sacrifice His life so that we would be forgiven, redeemed, and set free.
It’s Time to Sing a New Song
It is time! It is time! It is time for you, today, to sing to the Lord a new song.
But how, you ask?
Ask Jesus to come and save you.
Surrender your struggles to Jesus, fall at His feet, and give the struggles to Him.
Surrender the sins that keep showing up in your life, and plead for mercy and grace.
Rededicate your life to Jesus.
Commit to taking the Biblical prescription, reading the Psalms, and singing the songs.
If you, with a pure heart, choose any of these 5, You to will sing a new song for your King!
Comments