I am thrilled to be reading through the Psalms again with our faith-family. Due to the length of the Psalter, we took a break to complete a series in Matthew’s Gospel. Being back to Psalms means recognizing the various ways God speaks to the church in Psalms. Think of these as ways we worship in response to these Psalms/songs.
Here are options for applying the Psalms to your listeners:
- The Psalmist states something to be true (such as the current state of affairs) with the intention of eliciting faith in that biblical reality (very similar to stated doctrine in an epistle). Example: Psalm 111:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…”
- The Psalmist directs readers to do something through a command or instruction (very similar to an epistolary instruction). Example: Psalm 107:1a “Oh give thanks to the Lord…”
- The Psalmist commits himself to some future action with the intention of urging readers to follow his example. Example: Psalm 108:1b “I will sing and make melody with all my being!”
- The Psalmist expresses himself by revealing his feelings with the intention of urging readers to feel the same. Example: Psalm 108:1a “My heart is steadfast, O God!”
When our Lord chose put Psalms in the Canon of Scripture He used a unique form of communication. The Psalms use more options than any other genre I’ve encountered.
One of the reasons why the Psalms are neglected in preaching is because we haven’t exposed the many ways that God moves the readers. I hope you can see they, like all Scripture, are ready to be applied.
May our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) as you read these inspired songs with your congregants/listeners.
Randal
