- 1 Cor. 16:14
By: Carol Burrough
Worship is all about the honest expression of your heart to God.
All the Psalms are designed to teach us how to worship God. They show us how to experience the richness of God and how to have fellowship with Him. They teach us how to honestly offer up to God the full range of our emotions.
God is a Spirit and His worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth. We must be honest before God with all of our emotions and needs. The Psalms are God’s music and are inspired and written to draw us to grace. We find comfort, challenge and encouragement in the Psalms.
They reflect the reactions of the human heart to God’s pattern of working in our lives. It is a book of human emotions. No matter what mood you may be in, you’ll find a Psalm to give expression to that mood. They contain life’s highs and life’s lows. The Psalms were the hymn book of the Old Testament. There are 150 Psalms in the Bible
The Psalms express the need of the soul. If you are happy and want some words to show your joy, you may read Psalm 92:
It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night, On an instrument of ten strings, On the lute, And on the harp, With harmonious sound. For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands.
Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! Sing out the honor of His name; Make His praise glorious. Say to God, “How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.
If you want to express your thankfulness and are grateful, you use the words from Psalm 40. If you are troubled by fear or dread, Psalms 23, 56 and 91 give comfort.
Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up; Fighting all day he oppresses me. My enemies would hound me all day, For there are many who fight against me, O Most High. Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?
Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
If you are lonely, read Psalm 71 and Psalm 62. If you are full of guilt, read Psalm 51 which David wrote after his adultery.
Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.
Each Psalm is a unique expression of our human feelings and our human experience. These songs of faith beautifully reveal the work and person of Jesus Christ. The character, grace and truth of Jesus are presented in every Psalm. These Psalms were all written hundreds of years before the birth of Christ. Psalm 2 pictures Jesus as the man of destiny. God says that every nation, every people, every individual will find his value or lack of value in how he relates to His Son. Psalm 22 shows the Lord’s anguish on the cross of Calvary. This amazing Psalm takes you right to the cross itself with its opening line. It tells in detail how His tormentors took His garments and cast lots for them. The words are specific and graphic. They clearly prefigure the Messiah’s death by crucifixion. Psalm 110 validates the Deity of Christ.
Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more which is the purpose of the Psalms. The Psalms are God’s music and they were written and inspired by God’s grace. In them God’s people see a pretty fair picture of themselves, their sins, their struggles, their sorrows, their joys, their aspirations, their failures and their victories.
For the Psalms to endless ages, David will have the undying gratitude of millions of God’s redeemed people. The Psalms were written to be sung. Whatever the occasion, terrifying or joyous, it drove David straight to God. David lived in God. Praise was always coming out of his mouth. He was always asking God for help and thanking Him with his whole soul for the answers to his prayers.
The troubles David had could never dim his joy in His God. Psalms is truly a book of devotion to God. It was God’s mercy he understood. How that must have pleased God!
The Bible is the most priceless possession of the human race. The Psalmist David said, “I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart. I will show forth all thy marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee. I will sing praise to thy name.” The Bible says God inhabits the praises of His people.
So, Let everything that has breath Praise the Lord. Hallelujah!
Cross Creek Bridge Ministries
P.O. Box 572391
Tarzana, CA 91357
Tel: (818) 881-2009
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