The Psalms

I wrote this for our May Newsletter:

Methodists rarely cite John Calvin, but God promises to forgive us even when we do. Calvin writes, “It is my custom to call this book [the Psalms] An Anatomy of All the Parts of the Soul since there is not emotion anyone will experience whose image is not reflected in this mirror.” We recently began studying the book of Psalms during our Wednesday night Bible study.  I was quickly reminded of the import of the Psalms on my life and our life together.  Here’s a very brief summary on why the Psalms are important to me:

The Psalms are poetry, music, and prayer wrapped up and given to us to enjoy.  Have you ever wondered what to say to God?  Calvin notes that every human sentiment—praise, anger, love, fear, gratitude, grief, despair, and even vengeance—are included in our catalogue of Psalms. The Psalms are a roller coaster of emotions as we move from gratitude to lament to even cursing. Just like our own messy spiritual lives, the Psalms move from praise to desolation and back to praise. They give form to our spiritual lives and permission to bring our feelings to God no matter what hatred or rage springs up.

The Psalms are not merely individual prayers; they also unite the body of Christ. The Psalms give us words to pray over someone else’s shoulder and empathize with other’s emotions. If the Psalm is not your prayer, maybe it is somebody else’s. We may not be currently lamenting, but certainly someone in the world is at the end of his or her tether. We may not be angry, but someone might be angry with us. What would it be like to read a cursing Psalm from the point of view of a starving child? Kathleen Norris notes that she prays the Psalms alongside of the daily news and she finds herself examining and realigning her values and the values of our nation. The Psalms help us remember that Christianity is not just about ‘me and God.’

Finally, the Psalms are Jesus’ prayers. They were even the prayers he prayed as he hung on the cross. When we pray the Psalms we pray the very words spoken by God with Jesus Christ. We join in the prayer of Jesus Christ when we as individuals and a congregation pray the Psalms. This is why the Psalms have been called the “school of prayer.”

I invite you to come to our Bible study as we explore the Psalms if you are able.  At any rate, I urge you to spend some time going through the Psalms. Let these Psalms be your prayer, the prayers of your brothers and sisters, and the prayer of Jesus Christ.