Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law ofthe Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
Psalms 1:1-3 NKJV
Last summer, I spent time in the Psalms. The long slow summer days allowed time for chewing on the Word of God. As a result, I learned a few things.
1. It is okay to feel human emotion.
The Psalms cover every emotional response we can have as humans. The fact that the Psalms cover every feeling means that God knew we would experience these responses. Yet, the Psalms do not just leave us with our reactions and sentiments. The Psalms take us to the next level so we can learn to live above our feelings. They provide a method for us to work through that emotion. We can be like David and express our feelings through journaling, poetry, and song writing.
2. Taking our human emotions to God brings us closer to Him.
The Psalms remind us that even though we have all of these emotions, we don’t need to rely on them. We are to rely on God. Enjoy His presence and shelter and promises so that we reach a place without anxiety, worry, or fear. When we take our sentiments to God, He can do work in us. God changes us from glory to glory. We don’t have to transform our responses alone or by our power. Father God will do the work in us. We must only surrender to allow the change to take place.
3. God is a caring Father.
When my earthly father passed away, a dear friend reminded me that Father God is the best Daddy that exists. The Psalms indicate this by showing us that Father God provides for us, disciplines us, listens to us, and wants to be in a relationship with us. There is reassurance in the Psalms that God will protect us in every situation. The Psalms assure us that God hears us when we call out to Him. He hears us when we cry out in frustration or whisper in fear. Not only does God listen to us, but He also answers us. By learning about God’s nature, we improve our relationship with Him.
4. We should celebrate answered prayer.
Throughout the Psalms, David prays, and God answers his prayers in a big way. When God answers our petitions, we should thank Him. We should also celebrate and delight in the answered prayer. The Psalms give us the words to praise God. They help us rejoice and give thanks to God for all of His provisions. The Psalms help us joyfully embrace the goodness of life. David uses the Psalms to sing praises to God for the tremendous deliverance. David knows that it was not luck or insignificant human power that orchestrated his success. We know that God is not a respecter of persons. Therefore God will answer our prayers too! Now that is something to celebrate!