however, and when speaking with his friend, his mind was frequently elsewhere.

Martin's friend detected this and was offended. Martin's behavior was both rude and insulting.

If we sit in God's house and our mind wanders while singing to the Lord, why is this an insult to God?

In many churches, congregational singing is being, or has been, replaced by other forms of music - choir, solo, and/or instrumental pieces. The replacement of congregational singing by these forms of music reduces the personal confession and congregational unity aspects of singing by removing them from the congregation as a whole. This loss is a costly one to the spirit of communal worship in the congregation.

A difference also exists between the singing of psalms or hymns in the worship service. While many hymns are beautifully written and are scripturally sound and may certainly be sung and played (as choirs, soloists, and instrumentalists may be used) in homes, schools, or other gatherings, our Reformed forefathers preferred to sing only Scripture's songs, the Psalms, in the church worship service. The reasons for this are: