We’ve just started a new sermon series looking at the Psalms. It’s a powerful book filled with imagery that captivates and captures the imagination of artists and saints from Bach to Coolio. But it can also be confusing and, in places, disconcerting.
There are, however, lots of good reasons to persevere with praying (and just reading the Psalms).
1 They Reveal God to Us
The Psalms teach us about God and, in particular, about Jesus. They contain a wealth of doctrine about creation, redemption, purpose and the God behind it all. In particular they point us to the problem of sin – humanity’s brokenness in its relationship to God and to sin. And then they point past the problem to Christ as its future solution.
The Orthodox Study Bible puts it this way:
The Psalms have become for the Church, as for ancient Israel, a book of prayer and praise. All find their fulfillment in Christ, the Son of God.
2 They Teach Us to Pray
Fundamentally the Psalms are a book of prayers and hymns. They are, therefore, a wonderful resource for learning how to pray well. If you want to be a good pray-er then begin by praying the Psalms. That is, after all, what Jesus did: when things were hard (crucifixion hard), and almost everyone had left him, he prayed the words of the Psalms.
The Orthodox Study Bible continues:
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 can also be seen as a dialogue between the Church, the body of Christ, and Christ her Head. Therefore, they make the most sense to us when they are prayed or sung, not simply read.
Or in the words of the evangelical, Expositor’s Study Bible:
Prayer is a person’s communion with God. Prayers in the Psalter sometimes take the form of complaints against the Lord. The individual or community laments the adversity, describes the evil in God’s world, or petitions God to be true to his promises. Faith cries out for reality, and lament functions as an expression of authenticity…
Praise is a person’s longing for God and for others to be moved with the same desire for God…Israel praised the perfections of the Lord, his kingship, his revelation, and his covenant. But they longed for the fullness of redemption, especially when distressed.
3 They Offer Wisdom for Life
The Psalms contain real practical wisdom for how we should live. Right from Psalm 1, we are given advice about how to prosper – to flourish, be blessed or live well. Fundamentally this is rooted on a spiritual posture of humility, submission and adoration towards God, our Creator. That is the key to everything else.
This attitude of obedience flows out in myriad ways, including things as practically helpful as the benefits and blessings of financial generosity (Psalm 112:5) or about the possibility and grace of forgiveness irrespective of what we’ve done.
Read the Psalms; pray the Psalms; obey the Psalms. Simple.
To dive deeper, watch this amazing video from the guys at The Bible Project.
Deep Church 