Until middle school I spent my Sundays in a church without PowerPoint, pro presenter, or projectors. Instead, we followed along with the words of the songs and the order of service through a hymnal and, “The Book of Common Prayer.” It wasn’t until middle school that I encountered things like planning center and electric guitars in worship. Up until that point, the prayer book gave me the lines to sing and the words to pray. Of course, there are some real dangers in relying on other people’s prayers. At its worst, this sort of practice can make us lazy, and the words that we pray can become little more than an empty ritual. But sometimes written prayers can be a blessing, they can offer us words when our own have run dry.
Though the world is full of good prayer books, there is one which has the distinction of being inspired by God himself: the Psalms. Most people who’ve spent any time around the church have at least a little bit of familiarity with the largest book of the Bible. But in recent years, the psalms have fallen on hard times. In the past, Christians sang through almost the whole Psalter in worship, and memorizing a significant portion of the Psalms was seen as a requirement for being in church leadership. Now, most of us are only familiar with a handful of these ancient worship songs. Often we know a verse here or a verse there, the sort of stuff we’ve seen on coffee mugs and wall plaques in Christian book stores. But few can say that they’ve explored the depths and riches of this book of the Bible. I’d count myself among that group, until recently.
How The Psalms Shape Us
N.T. Wright points out that for Jesus and the apostles, the book of Psalms shaped their entire worldview. Day in and day out they were steeped in these songs and prayers. This prayer book influenced the way that they understood space, time, and matter along with their place in God’s created order. The Psalms were so influential that the Gospel itself was understood within a, “Psalm-shaped world.” This shouldn’t come as a surprise. The early church was fond of a phrase, “Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi” which translates, “The rule of prayer is the rule of belief.” Put simply, how you pray will shape what you believe. This was just as true for the apostles who were shaped by the prayers of ancient Israel. But this opportunity is still open to us. In the Psalms, we have the chance to be shaped by prayers which God himself has inspired. As we pray the Psalms, piece by piece we find God training us to approach his world differently.
Of course, the Psalms are a complicated book, and if you read for more than a few verses you’ll encounter some very challenging portions of scripture. Years ago I had a friend ask me what was going on in David’s life, based on his writings in scripture he seemed to be prone to extreme mood swings. Although not all are written by the famed king of Israel, the wild emotional swings from one psalm to another can be shocking. One moment we are told, “give thanks for the Lord for he is good for his steadfast love endures forever!” When only a few chapters before the Psalmist cries out, “You have taken from me friend and neighbor, darkness is my closest friend.” With highs and lows like that, it’s easy to think that the authors of the Psalms must have been moving from one crisis to another.
Ultimately though, I don't think there's anything abnormal about finding all of these diverse emotions compiled together. The longer I live, the more I find myself feeling the whole diversity of emotions expressed in the psalms, sometimes even in the same day. Now I’m fairly convinced that what stands behind the Psalms wild mood swings isn’t something extraordinary, it’s just ordinary life in a world gone wrong. During a particularly difficult season for our family, I’ve found myself opening the book of Psalms with new eyes. But, like the disciples, I am learning that the Psalms invite me to see ordinary, every day parts of life, even the painful and tragic portions as a part of something much more extraordinary.
An Invitation: Take Up and Read
Over the next month or so, our team at the resources page will be exploring the Psalms in all of their rich diversity. I for one couldn’t be more excited about that, I am more convinced every day that I need the psalms to tell me what it means to be fully human in the presence of God. I’d invite you to join us on this journey. No matter the season in which you find yourself, the book of Psalms has something to say to you. If you are in a valley, you will find that God has given you words of lament which you can pray back to him. On the other hand, if you are on a mountain top, and all of life seems suffused with God’s kindness. You will find that the Psalmists are equally awestruck by the beauty and the mercy of God.
As you read, ever so slowly you will notice a change: the words of the Psalmist will become your words. Even in times of spontaneous prayer, your words will begin to take on the shape, tone, and form of the Bible’s prayer book. One day you will notice that you are no longer shaping your prayers, but your prayers are shaping you as you offer God’s own words back to him.