So, we leave Job behind and dive head first into the Psalms. I love that, after reading a book that lead so many of us to ask and wrestle with so many questions, we start a book that records cries of the heart to God. They are cries for help, cries of worship, cries for forgiveness and mercy, and cries of thanksgiving. They are all intensely personal. I have prayer journals going back to my teenage years. I didn't write in them every day, but I did write in them when I had something intensely personal that I needed to communicate to God. It helped me to organize and work through my thoughts and emotions. The times I have gone back to read over those journals have blessed me immensely. I have seen what I have learned, how God answered prayers I forgot I prayed, and remembered how God always met me where I needed Him. There is a reason the Psalms are some of the most read books of the Bible. They convey many of those same things on a universal scale. We relate to the struggles and honest expressions of emotion the authors convey- from centuries before- to God.
In Psalm 1, we are encouraged to continue down the path of righteousness. "Blessed is the man who...delight[s] in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night." Which of us hasen't struggled to keep walking the straight and narrow?
In Psalm 2, we are reminded that God has the ultimate power and authority, both in heaven and on earth. "Blessed are all who take refuge in him." Which of us hasn't faced fear over things beyond our control- perhaps even on a world scale?
In Psalm 3, we are reminded to trust God for protection and look to him for peace. "But you are a shield around me, O Lord; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head....From the Lord comes deliverance." Which of us hasn't felt persecuted or unfairly accused at the hands of men (or women) trying to advance their own agenda?
In Psalm 4, we are reminded that God hears us when we call to him. "Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to him." Who hasn't felt like their prayers were bouncing off the ceiling at times?
In Psalm 5, 6, and 7 we are reminded to look to God for justice and deliverance from trouble. "For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favors as with a shield." "Turn, O Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love." "I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High." Who hasn't wanted to take revenge or justice into their own hands? Or perhaps felt like that was the only option?
In Psalm 8, we are reminded that God loves us and values us as his creation. "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" Who hasn't needed to feel like you were valuable?
Do any of those speak to your heart today? Do you need to be encouraged to keep the faith? Do you need to remember that God is the ultimate source of protection and peace? That God does hear us when we call to him? That He is a just God, who will deliver His people? That God loves you and values you- for no other reason than just that you are YOU??
It's fun to read the history stories, dig into theology, and get into all the intellectual details of the Bible- or even Christianity. I love it as much as the next person, and I firmly believe that God wants us to use our brains, bodies and spirits as much as our hearts to serve him. He is great and good enough to emphasize all of those points in His word. But, we serve and love a personal God. It's what makes Him different from any other god humanity has tried to create. And in a world where we increasingly "know" people on a surface level, based on their facebook posts or tweets or latest blog entry, it's nice to know that we have a God who truly gets to the heart of us, and wants us to share the deepest pieces of our souls with Him. More than that- He is enough to fill even the most gaping voids in our lives, if we will simply come to him honestly with it.
