Music can speak to us in ways that mere words fail to do. I am sure that most of us can recall our favorite hymns or songs and maybe even sing them without missing a beat! Music is one of the greatest gifts God has bestowed upon humanity, and it can communicate the deep truths of Scripture so powerfully that even the best sermon pales by comparison. As we continue our travels through the Bible during our newsletter series, we encounter such a collection of music that for some is their favorite book of Scripture, the book of Psalms.
The Psalms are the hymnbook of Israel, and now of the Church. There is so much that is contained within this book spanning 150 different chapters that we won’t have time in this short newsletter article to cover it all. Yet, I will highlight a few points that I pray will stir in us a desire to not only read this book but to also incorporate it into our daily lives as it teaches us about God and his ways.
First, as one of my study Bibles points out, “the Psalms have become for the Church, as for ancient Israel, a book of prayer and praise. All reach their fulfillment in Christ, the Son of God. Not only do the Psalms predict specific events of Christ’s life, but in them He Himself intercedes for and with His people before the Father. The Psalms could also be seen as a dialogue between the Church (the body of Christ), and Christ (the head). Therefore, they make the most sense to us when they are prayed, not simply read.”
If you have been noticing, I have tried to put a “psalm reading” at the beginning of our worship service after the announcements. This was done intentionally for two reasons. First, I wanted our church to have more exposure to more weekly Scripture so that we would know God’s Word. Secondly (and more importantly), the Psalms are a way that we as a church can ready our hearts and minds to worship the Lord, to answer His summoning call for us to stop our busy lives, pause, and lift our hearts in joy and honor to Him.
Second, the structure of the Psalms, with its five books (Ps. 1-41; 42-72; 73-89; 90-106; 107-150), calls to our minds the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, which is “sacred history”, recalling not just a bunch of one time events (the exodus out of Egypt), but also pointing the way to our own exodus from sin. The Psalms-with their many forms and voices-are to be understood together as the law of God in song.
Finally, most importantly and more personally, the Psalms follow one basic pattern: knowing that God is good, questioning the evil in the world, and then circling back to resting and trusting in Him. This too is a pattern for our lives. We may believe, but we see the hurting world around us and in our own hearts we cry out, and that is where God meets us with the reassurance that He, not death, suffering, or evil, but He is the strongest, most good in the universe and that we can trust Him.
The Psalms can build our individual relationships with God by lending language, expression, and emotions to our prayer lives. If when you pray, you find your words stagnant, unengaging, repetitive, or dull, then turn to the Psalms. I guarantee you for every hardship, tragedy, joy, struggle, pain, or ecstasy, there is a Psalm out there that matches it. Take comfort knowing that believers who have come before us have faced what we face and have found courage to remain faithful to God by looking at the Psalms and rediscovering His faithfulness.
May you be blessed in your reading,
Your Brother,
Craig