A friend at church asked me what I appreciate about the book of Psalms in the Bible. So this week I’m going to share three reasons why I love the psalms: because they are 1) Personal, 2) Prayerful and 3) Passionate.
Most often the Bible draws us into the wider story of a group of people. For example, the Israelites in the Old Testament, the 12 disciples in the New Testament, or the Christians in Ephesus.
It gets more personal when the Bible recounts for us individual stories of God’s people. For example, Abraham’s journeys of faith, Job’s struggles with suffering or Mary’s humble confidence accepting her assignment as the mother of Jesus.
These personal stories are narratives, detailing experiences and circumstances. The psalms, however, get personal in a different way.
They are mostly individual expressions of one writer, often David, to God. “My God, my God …” (Psalm 22:1). “The Lord is my shepherd …” (Psalm 23:1). The psalms are personal.
As such, the psalms draw an individual reader into the heart cries, the expressions of worship, the searching questions of faith, and the celebratory praises between one person and God.
This intimacy nurtures a deeper, closer relationship between you and God. So get more personal with God. He’s ready and waiting to be closer, and you’ll find him in the psalms.
PRAYER: God, when you seem distant, remind me that you are always near, and that I keep you away. In your mercy, Lord, break through my isolation, reach out your saving hand, and take mine. Draw me near. Keep there. And show me how to do the same to others. Amen.
FURTHER MEDITATION: Here is an activity to help you appreciate how personal the psalms are. Pick a group of 10 psalms, any of them, and scan through them. Look for the personal pronouns “I” or “me” or “my.” They appear often. Simply let this open in your soul a new appreciation for the book of Psalms, and how personal it is.
