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... ... middle of paper ... ...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).
Book Review of The Path of Prayer: Four Sermons on Prayer by St. Theophan the Recluse
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.
"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.
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).
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 for 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). III. Faith silences the complaint with the assurance of a good issue at last (v. 5). IV. Sense renews its complaints of the present dark and melancholy state (v. 6, 7). V. Faith holds up the heart, notwithstanding, with hope that the day will dawn (v. 8). VI. Sense repeats its lamentations (v. 9, 10) and sighs out the same remonstrance it had before made of its grievances. VII. Faith gets the last word (v. 11), for the silencing of the complaints of sense, and, though it be almost the same with that (v. 5) yet now it prevails and carries the day. The title does not tell us who was the penman of this psalm, but most probably it was David, and we may conjecture that it was penned by him at a time when, either by Saul’s persecution or Absalom’s rebellion, he was driven from the sanctuary and cut off from the privilege of waiting upon God in public ordinances. The strain of it is much the same with 63, and therefore we may presume it was penned by the same hand and upon the same or a similar occasion. In singing it, if we be either in outward affliction or in inward distress, we may accommodate to ourselves the melancholy expressions we find here; if not, we must, in singing them, sympathize with those whose case they speak too plainly, and thank God it is not our own case; but those passages in it which express and excite holy desires towards God, and dependence on him, we must earnestly endeavour to bring our minds up to.To the chief musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah.
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.
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.
Deffinbaugh, B. (n.d.). Wisdom Literature: The Psalms Part 1. Retrieved May 9, 2011, from Bible.org: http://bible.org/seriespage/wisdom-literature-psalms-part-i
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)
The introduction is quite classical in its core theme, something that was presented with a lot of erudition and passion. The introduction describes the function and the form of the Hebrew Bible as holding an important role in the sacred scriptures of Israel. The important issue