Tim Morrow

For several years at New Life Church, from June through August, we preach out of the Psalms at Sunday worship. We call this “Summer in the Psalms.”

The Psalms are one of the favorites of Christians, and rightfully so. They seem to touch on all the human emotions experienced by people.They also point people back to God regardless of what their struggle may be. The Psalms speak to our fears, regrets, anger, joy, and wonder. But perhaps more than anything else, the Psalms remind the Christian that God is worthy of praise. In fact, the last few Psalms expressly emphasizes that point. And to the rest of the Psalms, you generally see the ending of each Psalm with a praise to God, regardless of the circumstance: “I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.” (Psalm 104:33)

Why do Christians find so much comfort in the Psalms? I believe it is because reading the Psalms reminds the Christ-follower that no matter what the current circumstance of their life, it is the Lord God who brings the ultimate joy that is worth rejoicing about. Christians praise God because they love God and value him above all. In C.S. Lewis’ book “Reflections in the Psalms,” he says, “...men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it.” He continues, “The Psalmists in telling everyone to praise God are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about.”

The Psalms helps the Christian to express in words the feelings they have inside of Jesus Christ. Anytime you are excited about something, you want to tell people about it and share your experience with others. So it is with the Christian who has experienced the saving grace and care of the Lord God though Jesus Christ. We want to declare it, express it, and praise God openly. Lewis again on this subject says, “I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment;”

I encourage you as a Christ-follower to perhaps rediscover the wonder of the Psalms ... the wonder of the joy of praising God through all of life’s struggles. As the very last verse in the book of Psalms says, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150:6)

(Tim Morrow is a pastor at New Life Church of Powell.)