7th September 2024
How do you read the psalms?
Many of us love to read the psalms – we can find encouragement, read uplifting words that stir our hearts, make the prayers our own and of course, praise God along with the psalmists. But we also see some ugly parts – death, destruction, hatred, fear, pain and tears. I have to admit that I usually skip over those sections. You probably do too.
Too often, we try to make them apply to ourselves, to find correction or help with problems, or just ignore the messy parts. But maybe we’re reading them from the wrong perspective. Last week, I talked about asking the Who question when we read the Bible and doing that will certainly help us read some of the psalms. They are really all about Jesus.
The psalms point to the Incarnation and presage his suffering, death and resurrection. They reflect all of the human emotions Jesus experienced – joy, pain, anguish, gratitude to God, comfort, encouragement, being loved and cared for and the peace of God. The psalms pointed to Jesus, they are all about him, he memorised and quoted them and he had his favourites too (22, 91 and 118). He lived and died with them on his lips, and quoted Psalm 31:5 with his dying breath: ‘Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands.’
Having this perspective frees us from reading every verse with ourselves in mind. It refocuses us on him, on his humanness and his divinity. It even helps us read the messy parts with more understanding.
Study by Tammy Tkach
First published on 20 August 2024, at www.gemsofgodsgrace.wordpress.com a personal blog which is not sponsored by Grace Communion International.
About the writer:
Tammy Tkach is the Assistant Pastor of the Eugene, Oregon, USA, Grace Communion International congregation. She is a speaker and writer, and publishes a blog at www.gemsofgodsgrace.wordpress.com
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