Are you enjoying Faith’s series on Psalms? The Psalms are so rich, so full of real-life issues and feelings and ponderings. Can you relate to the emotions expressed by the psalmists? Can you feel their angst and confusion, their turmoil and fear, their joy and wonder? I am sure you can. We all experience similar emotions, and for that reason, I believe, the psalms touch a chord with us. Have you thought about recording your own feelings—the struggles and joys of your heart? Try it. I encourage you to pour your heart out to the Lord and record it. Let’s get started.
To begin, let’s learn a little about the Psalms. The book of Psalms is a compilation of songs and prayers written by many authors and collected over almost 1,000 years. They were used for individual worship and corporate worship. There are many kinds of psalms—lament, praise, thanksgiving, wisdom, and more—all expressing worship to God for who he is and what he has done. And that’s what we want to do; we want to record what we’re feeling and along the way bring into clear focus who God is and worship him.
Now, we could just jot down our feelings in a haphazard way, but let’s challenge ourselves a little. If you have spent time in the Psalms, you have probably noticed that they are filled with style and poetical elements that make them beautiful. There is imagery, alliteration, parallelism and strategic repetition, to name a few.
For instance, “As a deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God” (Ps. 42:1) is a simile that gives a vivid picture of the psalmist’s need of the Lord. Parallelism refers to two, three, or sometimes four lines that correlate closely by either echoing, contrasting, or completing each other. Examples are Psalm 55:12, “If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him,” and Psalm 1:6, “For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”
With these things in mind, are you ready to write? Don’t feel you need to use all of these elements. Maybe try to use just one. Or use an existing psalm as a template to get you started. You might try Psalm 13 if you’re feeling overwhelmed or Psalm 30 if you’re wanting to rejoice. Whatever your situation, whatever your thoughts, create a psalm of your own and “Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!” (Psalm 95:6).
I am no expert at writing psalms, but to encourage you in your efforts, I will share one of mine, written a few weeks ago when racism and the ensuing protests were all over the news.
Help us, Lord! Our nation is in turmoil.
As the stormy seas churn and surge
And the waves swell and crash,
Our country roils.
Where is the kindness and compassion?
Where is common sense and understanding?
Have discipline and self-control been abandoned?
Is morality gone?
Wickedness is all around us,
Injustice and prejudice at every turn.
What do we do, Lord?
What path do we take?
Shine your light on our nation.
Bring clarity to our land.
Let the people see.
Let the people see your truth.
You created all things.
You created us in your image.
As you love and care,
Help us to love and care.
I will trust in you, Lord.
I will rest in your goodness and strength.
Janet Smith and her husband Dan have been members at Faith
for 15 years. After years of homeschooling their four children and leading a homeschool group, she now works in the Faith office as
Assistant to Care Ministry. She serves in Stephen Ministry and in Women of the
Word.
Outside of work and ministry, Janet enjoys baking, reading,
hiking, crocheting, and spending time with her kids and grandkids.