I have been reading through and praying through the Psalms for the past week or so, and it has been so refreshing and rejuvenating.
Today in my reading, I read the “Psalm of the day” which is the date of the month, today is the 4th of September. So I read Psalm 4, then I add 30 to each Psalm # for the others for today, and in a month or two I would have read through and prayed through all the Psalms. Some days I don’t get to all five psalms in the same day, so next month I would start where I left off this month. Today they were Psalm 4, Psalm 34, Psalm 64, Psalm 94 and Psalm 124.
The verse that caught me today as I was reading/praying was Psalm 94:19:
When I am filled with cares,
your comfort brings me joy.PSALM 94:19 (CSB)
Right after I read this verse, my heart was struck by God’s caring heart towards me. When I am filled with all kinds of thoughts, cares, concerns, worries, anxiety, he is right there with me, offering me His comfort. I can lay down all of those cares at his feet because He’s got this.
This verse made me think of 1 Peter 5:6-7:
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.
1 Peter 5:6-7 (CSB)
This verse comes right before a statement about the enemy. “…Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Our cares are real. They are not inconsequential. But also they are not ours to try to carry. They are not something we need to hang onto or try to fix or control. We need to bring those cares before the Lord and pray over them and ask God to take care of them for us.
As I have been reading/praying through the Psalms, going through maybe 30-40 psalms in a week, I have come to think of David (or the Psalmist in some instances) almost like a coach or mentor, or even a kind of pastor. King David is arguably the greatest king who has ever lived in history. He has been through some stuff. From being disregarded or underestimated as a child and young shepherd, to being hunted by a king as a teenager and young adult, then ultimately, to being raised up as the King of Israel, God’s chosen people. All of that stuff he endured and struggled through was heavy, but consistently, he relied on the Lord to help him. He sought God’s help and his deliverance when enemies were trying to kill him.
Many of the Psalms, while they can come across as cries out to God or songs of rejoicing or sorrow, they also feel like they are leading, directing, and guiding those they are addressed to. He is urging us on to overcome and to persist and to press into God. They are both deeply personal but also universal.
Because of the way they are written and the vast array of life circumstances and topics they can encompass, the Psalms are a great way to help you process so many things you might face. From relationship issues, to fears and worries, even personal attacks, they can help you move through life with a new vocabulary and way of interacting with the Lord that enhances both our understanding of God and provides the comfort that God wants to bring us in the midst of any situation.
I recommend reading and praying the Psalms for anyone needing comfort and needing a rejuvenated prayer life in their relationship with God. The words written millennia ago are still as relevant today as they were for David and the Israelites.