Reading the Psalms should be an essential part of your journey with Jesus.

Music and scent have this power to take us to places from our past.  They help us engage the present, and when we bring those together, can give hope for the future.  N.T. Wright shares that the Book of Psalms are a place where space, time and matter come together.  They allow us to draw upon God in the past for the present, and carry us forward into the future.  Historically, the Psalms have played a huge role in the life of God’s people.  They are humanity seeking God, full of emotion and every kind of human experience.

The Psalms are poems, prayers, and songs of a community’s faith journey.

Bob Deffinbaugh has some good basic information here on What is a Psalm?

In his Reflection on the Psalms, C.S. Lewis shares the following:

“What must be said, however, is that the Psalms are poems, and poems intended to be sung: not doctrinal treatises, nor even sermons.” (Lewis, C S (2014-06-25). Reflections on Psalms (Kindle Locations 25-26).  . Kindle Edition. )

“Most emphatically the Psalms must be read as poems; as lyrics, with all the licences and all the formalities, the hyperboles, the emotional rather than logical connections, which are proper to lyric poetry. They must be read as poems if they are to be understood; no less than French must be read as French or English as English. Otherwise we shall miss what is in them and think we see what is not.”  (Lewis, C S (2014-06-25). Reflections on Psalms (Kindle Locations 29-32).  . Kindle Edition.)

Understanding this can help us engage the Psalms in our journey with Jesus.

Here are three reasons to read the Psalms:

1. Every human situation and emotion is found in the psalms.

Found in these poems is almost every human emotion, and many situations we can relate to.  They are raw emotion, a person seeking God in the midst of life.  In return, this helps us along the journey of life.

We have all been there, with no words to say before God, and yet our bodies hurt and scream out to God.  The Psalms can help us to express ourselves to God.

2. They are a conduit to live at a crossroads, where God space and our space come together.

N.T.  Wright drew me in this direction.  They can become a place where we pull the faithfulness of God from the past, to the present, leading to hope for the future.

3. Jesus used them.

The Psalms were a prayer book for the early Jesus followers, and for Jesus himself. There is good historical support for their guidance in the life of the church.

There are perhaps more reasons, but let me encourage you to engage the Psalms for the first time or afresh.   Maybe one chapter added onto your regular reading or   a fast overview read through.

N.T. Wright shares; “The Psalms contain unique poetry expressing the biblical faith in God as Creator, Redeemer, judge, lover, friend, adversary—the whole lot. There is nothing like them. The Psalms go right to the depths of the human emotions—they don’t just skate along the top. They explore what the great promises of God mean and what we do when those promises do not seem to be coming true.”.  .

Engage the psalms and let them guide you in seeking God.

How do you use the Psalms in your journey with Jesus?