Sing a New Song: A Womans Guide to the Psalms by Lydia Brownback

Sing a New Song: A Womans Guide to the Psalms Reviews

• 
  Becky

  Lydia Brownback guides readers slowly through the book of Psalms. This is not a book to be rushed through. Not only because it is a devotional book. But also because the approach--though in some ways a devotional approach--is not a quick rush. The goal isn't for readers to spend two minutes a day with a particular psalm--end of story. Brownback's book is an invitation to a relationship, an invitation to meditate on the psalm and meet the author face to face.
  
  In the preface, Brownback suggests ways readers can best use the book. She suggests that readers can use the book to build confidence in prayer, to prepare a Bible study, to journal your emotions, to weave Psalms with hospitality. (Psalms is not a book of me, me, me--but of WE.)
  
  There is a chapter--an entry--for each psalm, all 150. Each entry consists of the following:
  
  Theme. A one sentence overview of the psalm.
  
  Harmony. Something about the nature of the psalm and how it fits into the big picture of the Psalter.
  
  Singing in Tune. A verse-by-verse breakdown of the psalm.
  
  Musical Notes. How the psalm reveals God and his grace.
  
  Sing the Song. A suggestion for related Scripture reading and personal application.
  
  I am not sure why Lydia Brownback limits her audience to women. There is nothing specifically "for women" about this book. The psalms are for everyone. And the studies and applications are for everyone.
  
  "Theme" Psalm 23
  God watches over his people and guides the course of their individual lives.
  
  "Harmony" Psalm 23
  David composed Psalm 23 to inspire confidence in the Lord's care.
  
  "Sing the Song" Psalm 23
  Describe what John 10:11-15; Hebrews 13:20-21; 1 Peter 2:24-25; and Revelation 7:13-17 add to your understanding of our Great Shepherd.
• 
  Katherine

  I have been slowly studying my way through the Psalms for over a year and this devotional has been a wonderful companion to my time. I appreciated her explanations about the types of Psalms, but most of all, I benefited from her New Testament references that allowed me to meditate better on what each specific Psalm was saying and how it has been/is being fulfilled. So excellent.
• 
  Shannon McGarvey

  Excellent book! It would be much better as a slow read & Bible study , but it was a great overview of each psalm.
• 
  Annette

  Lydia Brownback explains her book as a "launching off" to study the Psalms in a deeper level.
  Sing A New Song can be used in a personal or group study.
  The book is organized just as the Bible organizes Psalms: The Psalters, Books 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5; and all 150 Psalms are given their own two page chapter.
  Each chapter explains: "Theme," "Harmony," "Singing In Tune," "Musical Notes," God's Attributes," and "Sing The Song."
  The three last chapters are how to study the Psalms as a group, growing closer to God, and "different ways to classify Psalms."
  I used Sing A New Song as apart of my daily devotional time.
  I began reading through this book last December.
  The brief two page study on each Psalm is not exhaustive. It is as Brownback states, "a launching off." However, if a person is a new Christian they may not understand how to "launch off." This is why the Appendix section is helpful.
  At the least, Sing A New Song, familiarizes the reader with Psalms
• 
  Becky

  This book is a great study of the Psalms. Although its subtitle is "A Woman's Guide to the Psalms" I think it would benefit any believer. Perhaps it's supposed to be geared towards women because the author is a woman and its layout might appeal more to women than men, but it doesn't have any of the cheesy women-targeted comments and illustrations that many women's Bible studies have. This book is a great way to delve deeper into the Psalms. Each Psalm is split up into five sections which are:
  Theme - A one sentence overview of the psalm.
  Harmony - Something about the nature of the psalm and how it fits into the big picture of the Psalter.
  Singing in Tune - A verse-by-verse breakdown of the psalm.
  Musical Notes - How the psalm reveals God and his grace.
  Sing the Song - A suggestion for related Scripture reading and personal application.
  (The above was taken from the preface to the book)
  This book can be used during personal devotions or in Women's Bible studies. I thought it was very helpful to spend time reflecting on each Psalm, see the attributes of God, and the emotions of the Psalmist which can lead to help in praying the Psalms. I also greatly appreciated the "Sing the Song" section in which Lydia Brownback gives passages from other parts of the Bible to show how the Psalm fits into the big picture of the Bible, helps you to apply the Psalm, or pray it. I don't often give books a five-star rating but this book was definitely worth it. I plan to use this book again in the future to study the Psalms.
• 
  Jeanie

  With Psalms our weaknesses become God's strength.
  
  Helplessness becomes confidence because God hears his cries
  Distress becomes peace because God is his protector
  Fear becomes trust because God has promised to save him.
  Anguish becomes peace because God sustains him.
  
  I loved this devotional thru the Book of Psalms. Going thru all 150 Psalms with a theme, harmony, and how we live in tune to the word of God. It ends with the Musical notes of God's grace as he draws us near to him.
  
  Each Psalm rightly orients our thinking "upward" rather than "inward". We cannot correctly know and understand God if we are the focus, however, in our pain and our emotions, we can know and experience God's promises of salvation and transformation. Just as many of the writers of Psalms experienced such as David and Moses. These were not perfect men and today's world would be crucified by the media. However, their cries of help and seeking God's mercy thru repentance is rare. Brownback goes further with scripture upon scripture and God's attributions of each Psalm. Some of it is repetitive, however, our pain can be as well.
  
  I do believe that men would greatly be encouraged by this devotion as well. I highly recommend this to be read along with your reading of the Psalms. I was greatly encouraged.
  
  A Special Thank You to Crossway and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
• 
  Ariel

  Adding one of these to my devotions most days means it took me months to get through this, but it was totally worth it.
  
  I definitely liked that each psalm was linked with the New Testament, so that the readers could see how God fulfilled/or is still fulfilling these songs through Christ. Also, I learned a lot about the psalms, like the different types, and the different "books" within the Psalter itself. That was very interesting.
  
  Very, very worth it.
• 
  Anna Pittman

  Check out my other reviews and more at
  Read and Repeat!
  
  Sing a New Song has commentary for each Psalm, breaking it down in sections. It talks about the theme, then it talks about how that psalm fits into the entire book in a section called harmony. The next section, singing in tune, has a verse-by-verse breakdown on the psalm. Musical notes shows how God's grace is seen in the psalm and sing the song gives suggestions on related scripture and practical application.
  
  Books are personal, but devotional books are even more so-- thus, I won't be writing a review per se because everyone is looking for drastically different things in books like these.
  
  What I liked: these devotionals were easy to read, and motivated me to start working my way through the Psalms. I loved being given additional scripture to read that related to the psalm.
  
  What I didn't like: On a small note, it was kind of annoying that the actual text of the Psalms weren't included in this devotional. It's not difficult to also have my Bible open while going through this devotional, but that was something that surprised me when I first started reading the devotional. Also, the Psalms can be difficult and dark and that's something that I felt like the devotional didn't always tackle. I mean yes, we can see God's grace and mercy through each Psalm but something we also see righteous anger which can be more difficult to understand. This devotional tended to stick to the easier things.
  
  Overall, I am grateful for this devotional book because it has motivated me to start studying and reading each Psalm. The accompanying text for each Psalm is quick enough to read that I've actually kept up with doing a Psalm every night before I go to bed.
• 
  Doreen

  “Sing a New Song is a springboard, a launching-off place, for going deeper into the psalms….” (location 218). I really appreciate the thought that has gone into this book. It is organized in such a way that it could be used in a personal study of the Psalms or a group study. Each Psalm is covered and has five sections that explain the theme, the nature of the psalm and how it fits into the Bible, a breakdown of the psalm, how the psalm reveals God and his grace, and an application section that connects this psalm to related Scriptures.
  I appreciated the list and explanations of the different types of psalms and what their focus is. I found that knowing what type of psalm I was reading helped me understand it better. The Psalms are so rich and real. When I see how the Psalmist moves from discouragement to faith, it encourages me and helps me see more how I should respond to similar times in my life.
  I was reading the entry on Psalm 2 when something crazy was going on in the world. Brownback pointed out that we don’t need to fear because God can change things in an instant and that God laughs when people/rulers try to get rid of him. The things that make me fearful don’t give God an ounce of concern. This message was so timely and helpful for me. I found that to be true all throughout this book. The psalms speak to where we’re at emotionally and train us to keep our eyes on God.
  I would highly recommend this book. It is easy to read yet theologically deep. It has enhanced my understanding of the Psalms and I’m sure I’ll use it again and again.
  Thank you to Crossway for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. I was not required to leave a positive review. All opinions are my own.
  
• 
  Carol

  Sing A New Song is phenomenal - I honestly I don't have enough words for it - but the words I have I am going to sing them out to you - get it - sing them out - first of all - I adore Psalms - It helps you build your relationship In your prayer life with the LORD - It is faithful to the Scriptures - then we are to journal our emotions - and boy does that draw you close to GOD believe it or not. It also teaches us hospitality - you see if you read the headers to Psalms they use it in gatherings - for songs in groups - it gives you a theme - a harmony - singing a tune - musical notes - sing the song - now what does each of those mean - each of those are incredible and special and I am not going to tell you because you have to get the book to find out what each of those special things are that you are to do daily. They are fun and they connect you with GOD what more can you ask for - this is special, advantageous for you to have, and a true GOD-send for me to have. I received a copy of this book from the Publisher and Netgalley; all the opinions expressed in this review are all my own.
  
  if you would like to read more of my Christian book reviews go to christianlybookreviewers.blogspot.com
• 
  Jackie Eason

  I love the structure of this book- each Psalm has a one sentence explanation of the theme, a paragraph of what type of Psalm it is and who wrote it (and sometimes why they wrote it), then a detailed verse by verse breakdown of the text, then (my favorite-)how each Psalm connects to Christ and the rest of the Bible, followed by the characteristics of Christ and additional readings from the Bible for further reading of the topic. I see no reason for this to be only for women. It is an excellent resource for understanding each Psalm and diving further into what each Psalm teaches.
• 
  Franki

  This is a great devotional on the Psalms and offered some brief and helpful context for each. When I read the Bible, i often mix study and application, and felt like this book skimmed over difficulties In the text and I often left with more questions and would have liked someone to help me think about the text rather than just provide the quick and easy answers. This is just personal preference though
• 
  Kristen Gebbia

  I’m not usually a fan of devotional books. For the most part, I find them light and fluffy, with more emphasis on a story/poem/etc than on the actual Scripture. However, this book completely centers on a Psalm each day, with a small commentary to complement (rather than distract). I also enjoyed the New Testament readings/fulfillment of the psalms.
• 
  Allison Scott

  This book was very well done. It breaks each chapter down and then has categories (theme, harmony, singing in tune, musical notes, and sing the song) to help break it down further. This is not a book to be rushed but to take your time with. I would suggest reading along with the book of Psalm. I feel like it helped me.
• 
  Angela

  Great to have on hand as you read the Psalms. Good overviews, helpful breakdowns and I liked the references to other Bible books that tied in with that particular psalm.
• 
  Bizzy

  Been working through this one for a while - definitely worth savoring. A great companion to the Psalms!!
• 
  TRISHA

  I want more! More details on Psalms. Easy read, but not enough meat & potatoes
• 
  Deon

  *This is an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley. No review, positive or otherwise, was required—all opinions are my own.*
• 
  Laelle McKinney

  I loved this devotional on the Psalms. Each daily devotional describes the theme of the Psalm, attributes of God and the fulfillment of Christ in the passage. My favorite was the “explore more” where they suggest looking up other scriptures, mainly from the NT, that teach the same themes. I discovered so many connections with the Psalms that I never have before. Highly recommend!