Today Dan did an overview touching on some of the different types of Psalms and who we can use them in relating to God and to one another.
Psalms (Dan Kane)
Palmer St. Podcast: Psalms
Reply
Tag Archives: David
Palmer St. pdf & pptx: Christmas 2012
Matthew 1:1 is the first verse of the New Testament. Those of us who have read the New Testament may have wondered why this genealogy is important. Why start a book of the Bible, particularly the first book of the New Testament this way? Because God always keeps His promises..
(no audio file this week)
Knowing How to Calm Down
There are times when our striving over a thing reaches its proper limits. When this happens we need to know how to quietly trust in the Lord. That unanswered prayer, that stressful situation, that massive uncertainty we have in an area that we feel we ought to understand better – all these may be areas we need to deliberately give over to Him.
David understood this and offers his own example to us in a brief psalm. He intentionally calmed and quieted his soul, knowing that some things needed to be placed in God’s hands and left there. There is a beautiful peace and humility involved in this kind of intentional trust.
Psalm 131
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1 Lord, my heart is not haughty,
Nor my eyes lofty [or “arrogant”].
Neither do I concern myself with great matters,
Nor with things too profound [or “difficult”] for me.
2 Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,
Like a weaned child with his mother;
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, hope in the Lord
From this time forth and forever.
A New Song
It’s hard to describe the excitement, joy, exhilaration that comes to us when God finally acts after putting us through a long period of waiting. David does a pretty good job of it in Psalm 40. In fact, he lays out the entire process wonderfully for us there.
First there is the waiting and crying out to the Lord.
Then the movement from the pit and the mire to the rock.
That is followed by joyful praise – a new song. It’s no longer a song of sadness, but of thankful, heartfelt rejoicing.
Finally there is the effect that all of this has on others. Their trust in God is increased by observing what He does in our lives.
May the Lord encourage each of us through David’s experience.
I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
He has put a new song in my mouth-
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the Lord.”
– Psalms 40:1-3 (NKJV)
Central Reflections 