The Power of the Psalms

When I was in high school, the Lord spoke to me about reading through the Bible start to finish. So I did. When I got to the Psalms I thought, “This will be the most boring book – just song lyrics – like reading the album cover without the music. And there's 150 of them! Terrific; that's just ducky.”

I have never been so wrong. The depth of raw emotion expressed in the Psalms is at a level very few writers of songs, poetry, or prose dare to go. They cover the entire range of human experience, from the heights of euphoria to the utter, black depths of desperation.

Especially the Psalms of David. Do you know his story? He was anointed to be King of Israel as a young boy, in secret by the prophet Samuel. As he grew and did things he could only do because he knew God was with him, like killing Goliath and winning many other battles for the Israelites, everyone knew he would be the next king. Including the present king, King Saul. Which was the problem. Saul pursued David for years trying to kill him. David had to live in a cave in the desert for many years.

Out of this great unfairness in his life, he writes some of the most powerful psalms. Like Psalm 13, which starts out, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?” I love the honesty of heart in the psalms! But David ends Psalm 13 with, “I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.”

And that's what all the psalms have in common. Whether written from the highest height or from the deepest depth, they all end praising the Lord. Even when they express anger at him or frustration with life, they all end praising the Lord.

How about us? Do all of our conversations, internal and external, end praising the Lord, regardless of circumstance? Be careful, that'll change your life! :)