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The purpose of this paper is to share with you, the reader, where I was with my faith relationship through the Psalms and their role in my prayer life. How, through education in the background, exegesis and relevance of the Psalms coupled with a functional practice of praying them regularly, I have cultivated my faith and strengthened my gratitude for them. Lastly, I wish to offer some advice to others who have not found value in the Psalms (where I once was). These insights are offered in the hope that they (the Psalms) will add more meaning to the prayer life of those seeking to enhance their spiritual life.
As little as five years ago, whenever I attempted to read Scripture I would often “flip” open the Bible and proceed to read a couple of paragraphs or a short chapter looking for inspiration from the Holy Spirit (Lectio Divino). Often my “flipping” would land me in the Psalms. I shamefully admit that I would quickly re-flip to something I deemed more suitable. It is a sad fact; I had almost no relationship with the Psalms. Worst still, I had no desire to develop a relationship. To me the Psalms seemed cryptic, chaotic, and incoherent. They were boring and irrelevant with little to no connection to the modern world.
Education, in no small way, was responsible for opening my eyes to much of the value that the Psalms hold for me today. The historical background was a foundation on which to build that knowledge. For as stated in the book, The School of Prayer, “Israel’s history is the church’s history”. From Israel’s history we see that the Psalms were developed over a long period of time extending from King David’s dynasty until deep into the Babylonian exile (over 500 years). The Catechism of the Catholic Church confirms this...
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...ld Testament. Lastly, we become the recipients of the greatest joy known on earth, pleasing God by cooperating with his divine will.
Works Cited
Anderson, Bernhard W. understanding the Old Testament. 4th. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1983.
Boadt, Lawrence. Reading the Old Testament, An Introduction. 2nd. Edited by Richard Clifford and Daniel Harrington. New York/Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press, 2012.
Brook, John. The School of Prayer, An Introduction to the Divine Office for All Christians. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1992.
Merton, Thomas. Praying the Psalms. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1956.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition. Washington D.C.: USCCB Publishing, 2000.
Wikimedia Foundation. "Divine Office".Wikipedia. n.d. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_Office (accessed March 18, 2014).
Wilson, Barbara S., Arlene Flancher, and Susan T. Erdey. The Episcopal Handbook. New York, NY: Morehouse Pub., 2008. Print.
...ed. The psalmist said, “Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.” The psalmist remains caught between despair and hope.
Psalm 89 of the Book of Psalms, advocates the message of consequentialism, foreground by man’s relationship with God, with direct lin...
"EXPLORING THEOLOGY 1 & 2." EXPLORING THEOLOGY 1 2. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.
Coffman, James Burton. "Commentary on Psalms 59:1". Coffman Commentaries on the Old and New Testament. . Abilene Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. 1983-1999. Web. 27 February 2014.
If the book of Psalms be, as some have styled it, a mirror or looking-glass of pious and devout affections, this psalm in particular deserves, as much as any one psalm, to be so entitled, and is as proper as any to kindle and excite such in us: gracious desires are here strong and fervent; gracious hopes and fears, joys and sorrows, are here struggling, but the pleasing passion comes off a conqueror. Or we may take it as a conflict between sense and faith, sense objecting and faith answering. I. Faith begins with holy desires towards God and communion with him (v. 1, 2). II. Sense complains of the darkness and cloudiness of the present condition, aggravated by the remembrance of the former enjoyments (v. 3, 4).
The Psalter has historically been a book full of rich, diverse theological truth. Whether it a Psalm of lament, or Psalm praising God, or any other of the vast number of topics the Psalms address, the Psalter is indeed the inspired, revealed word of God that leads believers to deeper fellowship and rejoicing with God himself. Because of this, Bruce Waltke, in his article A Canonical Process Approach to the Psalms, explores the importance of reading and interpreting the Psalms rightly. Ultimately, Waltke’s thesis lies in the notions that the Psalms are best understood by reading them through the lens of a canonical approach.
Reese, William J., Emily Dykman, Michael Lopez-Kaley, and Laura Nettles. Christian Theology: Scripture, Tradition, and Practice. Kearney, Neb.: Morris Pub., 2012. Print.
God’s goodness and mercy far transcends the comprehension of the most brilliant human mind! He “who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth”(Psalm 113:6).Yet in His infinite love for us He stoops down to reveal Himself to us by a multitude of illustration, types, and shadows, so that we may learn to know him. This paper will describe what is meant by the Kingdom of God; examine the religious philosophy of the various sects of Judaism during the Second Temple period: Pharisee, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots, describe the religious philosophy and political philosophy of each sects, it will also describe how the Messianic expectation differ from the Messianic role that Jesus presented, and include an exegesis of the temptation of Jesus and how other sects defined the Messiah.
Book Review of The Path of Prayer: Four Sermons on Prayer by St. Theophan the Recluse
Sorry for going over Professor. I loved this Chapter and should probably have shortened it down. But I just believe this might be the most important lesson for all Christians. If you know this is God’s Words, how can you not fall in love with Psalm 119?
In Unit 5, we studied the structure of the book of Psalms, and discussed Geneva College’s belief in exclusive Psalm singing. Singing Psalms is a relatively foreign practice to me, but I have learned that singing them helps me focus on the Word of God. It does not take long for one to realize that the book contains a wide variety of themes that are not always positive. There was definitely a lot for me to learn in this unit, and I have gained a lot of knowledge because of it.
Can one question, or consider evaluating the authority of God 's ' word and his infallible wisdom to supernaturally inspire those who wrote it? In the words of the psalmist” God’s word is the truth” and “every one of his righteous ordinances endures forever” (The Holy Bible, Ps: 119: 160). As students of the ministry, it is critically important to understand the biblical authority, inspiration, and inerrancy of the bible and the potential effects to society. This paper will reflect my personal insight, biblical research, and analysis to formulate a clear and concise understanding of this topic.
Holy Bible: Contemporary English Version. New York: American Bible Society, 1995. Print. (BS195 .C66 1995)
Mitchell, Curtis C. 1984. "The case for persistence in prayer." Journal Of The Evangelical Theological Society 27, no. 2: 161-168. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed March 16, 2014).