Stirring Affections: Psalms: How Do I Talk To God?

Monday, February 1, 2016

Psalms: How Do I Talk To God?

In our chronological Bible study we're currently in the life of David, and this week we'll spend our breakfast Bible time meditating on some of the psalms. A psalm a day makes for a simple yet meaningful devotional time together!

Children want to know, How do you talk to God?

Since the second temple, the psalms have been used as a prayer book. We find in Psalms beautiful examples of humbled hearts laid bare before the Lord. We see praise and thanksgiving flow from intimate relationship experienced with a personal God. We see a longing for justice that recognizes God as the sole source of deliverance. The psalms shape our response to God whether we're experiencing joy or difficulty.

When we open the scriptures we not only ask what do we learn about ourselves but we ask what do we learn about Christ? We see how to convey our own hearts to God but we also see the heart of Christ, his sufferings and his glories.

"they divide my garments among them and for my clothing they cast lots." Ps 22:18

"Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed" Ps 68:18

Today we talked about five different types of psalms: lament, confession, imprecatory, praise, and thanksgiving. Each morning we'll continue to take one Psalm and look for clues in the author's language to determine what is stirring inside his heart. We're learning theology that is confessional and doxological.