Of all the books in the Bible, the Psalms are what I read most often. I read one each day, numbering them 1-31 throughout the book. They comfort me, make me laugh, and fill me with delight. I often find myself nodding along with David's words. John Calvin wrote, "I have been accustomed to call this book, I think not inappropriately, 'An Anatomy of all the Parts of the Soul;' for there is not an emotion of which anyone can be conscious that is not here represented as in a mirror. Or rather, the Holy Spirit has here drawn to the life all the griefs, sorrows, fears, doubts, hopes, cares, perplexities, in short, all the distracting emotions with which the minds of men are wont to be agitated." Calvin seems to find more "distracting emotions" than helpful ones, but I think both are present. There are more notes and underlining in Psalms than in any other book in my Bible.
Here are a very few of my favourites:
"I lie down and sleep;
I awake again, because the Lord sustains me." (Psalm 3:5)
"In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." (Psalm 5:3)
"Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance." (Psalm 16:5-6)
"I love you, O Lord, my strength." (Psalm 18:1)
"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes." (Psalm 37:7)
"Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and glory are in his sanctuary." (Psalms 96:6)
"I run in the path of your commands,
for you have set my heart free." (Psalm 119:32)
I could go on and on. Often, when I read a verse, a memory pops up and I remember the joy, or grief, or anger that I felt at other times. I am so thankful that I can bring all of these emotions to God knowing that he will understand. Another, more contemporary author, Mark Buchanan says, "The Psalms give form to and language for the fullness of our lives. They track a path through the vastness of human emotion, its tundras and its jungles and direct all of it Godwards." The Psalms remind me that I am human (not that I need much reminding), but also that the emotions I experience have been experienced by humans from the dawn of time. And in every emotion, God is present. Is that not perfect solace?
What verses from Psalms do you treasure?
Lorrie Orr writes from Vancouver Island, where she reads Psalms in the garden, on the beach, in the forest, and anywhere she finds herself. God's creation inspires!
