PSALMS FOR LESS STRESS....INTRODUCTION
So many times in life, a little thing called discouragement sets in. It’s the gray slush of winter. Like a dreaded disease, it gnaws away at our insides. We are all subject to the currents of discouragement that can sweep us into a danger zone. Even the most positive people can get discouraged. After Sunday’s service, (letter… “A friend of mine, really needed you but you didn’t return several calls and requests for counseling. WHY?! She deserves an apology. She had a death of a parent and a son. She needed you!!” –Unsigned (of course) …) what a bad day.
Illustration: Former heavy-weight boxer James (Quick) Tillis is a cowboy from Oklahoma who fought out of Chicago in the early 1980’s. He still remembers his first day in the Windy City after his arrival from Tulsa. “I got off the bus with two cardboard suitcases under by arms in downtown Chicago and stopped in front of the Sears Tower. I put my suitcases down, and I looked up at the Tower and I said to myself, ‘I’m going to conquer Chicago.’ “When I looked down, the suitcases were gone.”
To lift us up from times like these and to give us a renewed perspective, God gave us poetry, especially the Psalms, that reflects on His kindness, His love.
Quotation: Martin Luther prefaced his 1528 translation of Psalms with these words: A human heart is like a ship on a wild sea, driven by the storm winds from the four corners of the world. Here it is stuck with fear and worry about impending disaster; there comes grief and sadness because of present evil. Here breathes a breeze of hope and of anticipated happiness; there blows security and joy in present blessings. These storm winds teach us to speak with earnestness, to open the heart and pour out what lies at the bottom of it.
In Psalms you have, in poetic and musical form, the history of the Hebrew people. Psalms contains the emotions.– many of which are prayers, praises, and songs - were written as a response to the everyday occurrences going on in their life and nation.
- Psalms is a peek into how these people responded to him in times of tragedy
(Psalm 88 and 91)
- how they praised him in times of victory
(Psalms 92 and 66)
- how they talked with him in times of confusion and anger (Psalms 73 and 58)
- how they cared for each other in times of need
(Psalm 23 and 37 and 42)
- how they repented and confessed in times of disobedience (Psalm 32 and 51)
- how they found God in times of loneliness
(Psalms 71 and 62).
Did You Know…
- Psalms is the only book quoted by Satan
- At least 6 people wrote this collection of songs, prayers, and praises. Though David didn’t write all of them, he did write more than 50%. Other authors include Asaph (chief choir director for David), Sons of Korah (OT band/musicians direct from playing the palace in Jerusalem..), Ethan, Solomon and Moses
- Psalms contains the longest and shortest chapters in the Bible
- It is the longest book of the Bible
- It contains the exact middle chapter of the Bible – Psalm 118. That’s right -- there are 594 chapters before and after Psalm 118. Now, if you add those two together (594 + 594), you get 1188. Take that number and turn it into 118:8. What does it say? “It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in man.”
The Book of Psalms is quoted more times in the New Testament than any other book, along with Isaiah. Not only did other Biblical writers enjoy this book, but the fact that the Psalms are so often added to copies of the New Testaments in America indicates that we English readers have come to love this book.
What the Psalms Invite us To Do
The Psalms are your invitation to pull off of the busy highway of life, full of cares and take the scenic route where you have time to enjoy God.
Questions:
- Have you found yourself being moody lately?
- Have you found yourself in bad circumstances?
- Do you feel that God is distant or that He is somewhat unfair?
- Are you angry because evil seems to always win?
- Do you feel like complaining? Have you done something really stupid and you’re discouraged about it?
Then The Psalms are for you. We can’t deal with all of the stuff in this messed up world without an encounter with God. That’s what the Psalms do for us. They are our words that in desperation we utter back to God when our relationship with Him has been clouded.
The Bible was written in many genres. One of these is poetry. There are five Books of Poetry in the Bible, all of which are found in the Old Testament. They are: Job (addresses suffering), Psalms (addresses praise and worship), Proverbs (addresses wisdom), Ecclesiastes (addresses wisdom), and Song of Solomon.
So, this is our introduction to Psalms. Next Wednesday we will look at what is consistently voted as the most favorite chapter in the Bible of people in America. The 23rd Psalm. We’re going to look at God’s Road to Rest and how you and I can experience it through the incredible truths in this Psalm.
(With thanks to Tom Holliday)
