Let's Talk about Psalms

All spiritual practices have one thing in common- they are biblical.

But...

The thing about the bible, is that we need to be taught how to read it. There’s this weird sensation that people believe and it's that (if we are literate) we should be able to pick the bible up and understand what it says.

And while we may be able to comprehend the words, the ideas take a little more to get.

For me this is especially true of the Psalms- which are poetic in nature, and I have to admit, that I don’t always love poetry. I love a narrative because it feels like it is going somewhere, and I appreciate that momentum, I also love learning about the historical and cultural contexts that make biblical stories make sense... but I digress. I’ve been spending some time in the Psalms lately, (you might call it a practice of slowing down a bit) and coming to terms with this book of the Bible that I have avoided in the past.

The Psalms are a book of praise, it’s the book of prayers that Jesus himself learned- and when framed as a way to learn to pray like Jesus prayed they become useful in a way that made me re-think their value. Once I did the work of slowing down, savouring the words of the prayer I was reading, and sitting with the emotions that they brought up I was able to (partially) let go of my need for something to go somewhere in order for it to be worth my time.

So over the next few weeks, I'd like to share with you these insights I'm gleaning from the book of Psalms, I hope that you'll join me in this beautiful book.

Starting with Psalm 8

LORD, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory

in the heavens.

Through the praise of children and infants

you have established a stronghold against your enemies,

to silence the foe and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens,

the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which you have set in place,

what is humankind that you are mindful of them,

human beings that you care for them?

You have made them a little lower than the angels

and crowned them with glory and honor.

You made them rulers over the works of your hands;

you put everything under their feet:

all flocks and herds,

and the animals of the wild,

the birds in the sky,

and the fish in the sea,

all that swim the paths of the seas.

LORD, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Sit with this one for a while and consider, if you will, a couple things that are not immediately noticeable.

1. LORD (all capitals, verse 1)- David addresses God by his name- Yahweh- how intimate! That we could address God in this personal way- isn’t it astounding that we could know the Creator of the Universe in this way?!

2. God entrusted his creation to us (verses 3-8)- but it is still His creation. Really think about this. Go out, look at the sky, look at a tree, look at a body of water, look at whatever is around you. God created it, and then said I trust you with this precious thing. Why would he do that? Doesn’t he know how much we (I’ll make it personal), doesn’t he know how much I mess up?

How much love and care and faith must God have in me to have entrusted anything to

me?

Really think about that, it is a marvel to realize that God who put the moon and the stars

in place even thinks about you. And yet God gives us so much more than a casual

thought.

There, of course, is more to dissect in this Psalm but if I can I’d like to offer you a challenge and a blessing this week:

Challenge:

Read a Psalm, there are some that are full of lament and others that, like Psalm 8, are full of praise. Pick one Psalm and read it every day this week.

Blessing:

May you take time this week to wonder at the majesty of our God. Whether you are able to get to a forest, or gaze upon the moon, may you remember that you are deeply cared for by the God of creation.

Keep practicing,

If you have a favourite Psalm, let me know- maybe I can sit with it for a while. Maybe I can even write up my experience with it! Shoot me a message by email (meghanlamatthews@gmail.com) or on Instagram (@itsmeghanmatthews)