Summer Psalms

My church is taking this summer to draw close to God through the Psalms.  We are doing something simple, we are reading a Psalm a day and using it as a prayer springboard.

The Psalms offer us the opportunity to experience a range of emotions with God.  They remind us that God has created us with emotions, and he is not reluctant to have us exercise them before Him.  Psalmists freely write about anger, fear, hatred, and yes, love, praise, and thanksgiving.  The point is that if you have an emotion, it is likely covered somewhere within the 150 Psalms in the Bible.

The Psalms invite us to feel emotions – and maybe ones that we have not felt, or perhaps have suppressed.  Last Sunday, I preached Psalm 73.  I had never taken a close look at that Psalm.  Asaph, the writer, confessed to God that he felt envy towards people who did not follow God and seemed to be getting ahead, suffering few restrictions or consequences.  If you have ever wondered about attending church week after week, comparing it to the life of non-churched people, this Psalm is for you!

NT Wright in his book, The Case for the Psalms, says that if the Psalms had been hidden over time, and then suddenly discovered today, they would instantly catapult to the top of bestsellers lists!  They offer unparalleled beauty and depth.

Join this summer in reading the Psalms and engage a wide variety of emotions.