Episode #15: The Psalms, Honesty, and Spiritual Formation with Dr. W. David O. Taylor

In this week’s episode, W. David O. Taylor explores the profound depths of the Book of Psalms with us in a rich discussion of his new book Open and Unafraid. We talk about how the prayers of the Psalter invite us to a deep honesty with God, with others, and with ourselves. As we open ourselves to the richness of the text, the text through the power of the Spirit shapes us.

W. David O. Taylor is Associate Professor of Theology & Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary and the author of several books, includingOpen and Unafraid: The Psalms as a Guide to Life (Thomas Nelson, 2020), Glimpses of the New Creation: Worship and the Formative Power of the Arts  (Eerdmans, 2019), The Theater of God’s Glory: Calvin, Creation, and the Liturgical Arts (Eerdmans, 2017), as well as editor ofFor the Beauty of the Church: Casting a Vision for the Arts(Baker Books, 2010) and co-editor of Contemporary Art and the Church: A Conversation between Two Worlds (IVP Academic, 2017). He has written for The Washington Post, Religion News Service, Image Journal, Calvin Theological Journal, Christian Scholars Review, Theology Today, Books & Culture, The Gospel Coalition, and Christianity Today, among others. An Anglican priest, he has lectured widely on the arts, from Thailand to South Africa. He serves on the advisory board for Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts as well as IVP Academic’s series, “Studies in Theology and the Arts,” and he is a core participation in the four-year project “Theology, Modernity, and the Visual Arts,” hosted by King’s College, London, which involves annual conversations between scholars and artists in London, Chicago, Berlin, and Venice. He lives in Austin with his wife Phaedra, a visual artist and gardener, and his daughter Blythe and son Sebastian.

Social Media:

Twitter: @wdavidotaylor

IG: @davidtaylor_theologian

Facebook author page: @wdavidotaylor2020


Books:
Open and Unafraid: The Psalms as a Guide to Life (2020): https://amzn.to/2YUcxea

Prayer Cards for Open and Unafraid:  https://store.rabbitroom.com/products/open-and-unafraid-prayer-cards?variant=31489346764887

Glimpses of the New Creation: Worship and the Formative Power of the Arts (2019 w/Jeremy Begbie): https://amzn.to/3iuo63u

The Theater of God’s Glory: Calvin, Creation, and the Liturgical Arts (2017): https://amzn.to/2Zz2Kcy

co-editor of Contemporary Art and the Church: A Conversation between Two Worlds (IVP Academic, 2017) https://amzn.to/3e4Uoi9

For the Beauty of the Church: Casting a Vision for the Arts (2010): https://amzn.to/31UbooX

David’s Recommended Books for Spiritual Growth and Transformation:

Henri Nouwen The Wounded Healer https://amzn.to/301ocY3

James B. Torrance, Worship, Community, and the Triune God of Grace https://amzn.to/3fbOddl

Karl Barth Church Dogmatics https://amzn.to/3iIkLh4


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Are You Playing the Long Game?

Are you playing the long game? Or are you going for a quick fix?


Our flesh longs for instantaneous and on demand, but our soul longs for a real meal of depth and abundance.


Here the story about one of Brian's friends whose committed long term to digging deeply in the Psalms. He reads one psalm each day for a week. This includes reading the psalm each day and then reading a different commentary on it daily. He is in year 4 which means he just began his second run through the Psalter.


Imagine the person you'll become by doing a similar deep dive into some practice in your own life.

To what formative practices have you committed deeply?

Reading Psalm 51 for Transformation

Psalms 51–72 offer a Davidic core at the heart of Books II–III. Most of the psalms include “Of David” or are untitled except for Ps 72 (“of Solomon”). Ps 72 concludes with “The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended” (72:20).  Moreover, eight of these psalms (Pss 51, 52, 54, 56, 57, 59, 60, and 63) include in the heading references to challenges in David’s life from the books of Samuel.  By linking psalms to difficult episodes in David’s life, the Psalms remind us that even godly kings such as David still faced challenging seasons. As we seek to live out God’s missional in the world, we must recognize that this commitment will not translate into a worry free or storm less life. For the next two weeks, we will explore these Davidic prayers as models for our own during times of need.

We begin with one of the most well known psalms from Book II: Psalm 51. Psalm 51 is a penitential prayer (prayer for forgiveness). The others are Pss 6, 32, 38, 102, 130, and 143.

Ps 51 is a model prayer of repentance, sorrow, restoration and renewal. In 2 Samuel 11–12, David sinned greatly, but turned wholeheartedly to the LORD. Israel’s great king committed adultery with a woman named Bathsheba. Then after Bathsheba became pregnant with David’s child, he ordered her husband Uriah murdered. The words in Ps 51 attempt to capture the spirit of his prayer as a model for all God’s people on how to pray when we have sinned. It serves as a reminder of the grave burden and consequences of sin, but also of the great mercy of God.

God desires for us to walk faithfully in love of God and neighbor, but when we do sin, God invites us to pray.  As Jesus’ followers, we have this promise, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

The psalmist cuts to the heart of the matter in vv. 1–2:
Ps 51
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

51 Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
    blot out my transgressions.
 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
    and cleanse me from my sin!

There are no excuses, hedging, or nuances in the psalmist’s words. He opens immediately with a request for God’s mercy and grace. The psalmist can pray boldly because he knows God’s character. He bases his request on God’s faithful love and abundant compassion. These are God’s core characteristics. The psalmist recognizes his guilt and uncleanness before God. God is his only hope. Verse two imagines sin and transgression as a filthy contamination that needs to be cleansed in the same way that dirty cloths must be washed.

The opening verses of Psalm 51 may remind readers of the prayer of the tax collector in Luke 18:13, “Lord, be merciful to me a sinner.” This was a prayer that Jesus affirmed as one that God answers. So it will be with those who pray Ps 51.

How do verses 1–2 teach us about praying to God for forgiveness?
What are areas in your life for which you need to ask for God’s mercy and grace?

Now let's look at the rest of Psalm 51:
3 For I know my transgressions,
 and my sin is ever before me.
 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
 and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
 and blameless in your judgment. 
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
 and in sin did my mother conceive me.
 6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
 and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
 
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
 wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
 8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
 let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 
9 Hide your face from my sins,
 and blot out all my iniquities.
 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
 and renew a right spirit within me.
 11 Cast me not away from your presence,
 and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
 and uphold me with a willing spirit.
 
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
 and sinners will return to you.
 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
 O God of my salvation,
    and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
 15 O Lord, open my lips,
 and my mouth will declare your praise.
 16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
 you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
 a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
 
18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
 build up the walls of Jerusalem;
 19 then will you delight in right sacrifices,
 in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
 then bulls will be offered on your altar.
 
 The psalmist’s remaining prayer breaks up into three sections: vv. 3–9, 10–17, and 18–19.
 
Verses 3–5 summarizes the psalmist’s sorrow. There are no excuses—just confession of guilt. The psalmist does not attempt to hide wrongdoing, but admits that they are ever present burdens (v. 3). Moreover, the psalmist recognizes that these sins are against God. Yes, when we sin, we hurt others and ourselves, but our sins are ultimately against our loving Creator (v. 4). It is to God we will answer. The psalmist ends this section with a categorical confession of lostness (v. 5). His recent failures are recurring patterns. He has been trapped in sinful cycles since conception. The psalmist recognizes his inability to save himself. There is only one solution: the mercy, grace, and unfailing love of God. Often God’s greatest work begins on the ruin of our lives when we turn to him fully.
 
In verses 6–8, the psalmist again requests cleansing. The psalmist continues his view of his sinfulness as a stain that needed removed (cf. v. 2). The psalmist recognizes that his inner life does not line up with the expectations and will of God (v. 6). He asks  for God’s cleansing (v. 7) so that he can return to a life of joy and fulfillment. Sin will weary us. We must be sensitive to our need for God’s grace and turn to the LORD whenever we stray from God’s ways.
 
Verses 9–17 focus on specific for renewal and include vows of actions that the restored psalmist will take. Verses 9–12 lyrically capture the heart and passion of this prayer. The link to David is powerful. The great king has sinned and the stakes are sky high. David throws himself fully into the arms of God knowing that only God can restore him. He wants his sins and inquity removed (v. 9), but more importantly he wants his moment by moment relationship with God to be healed (vv. 10–12). This requires a work beginning in his inner core—his heart. Remember that heart refers to the will, intentions, and thinking center of a person.
 
In verses 13–17, the psalmist vows to teach others the way of the LORD and to confess publicly the praise of God. Experiences of God’s grace must always be spread and shared with others. Moreover, v. 17 reminds us of the posture with which we must approach God. Confession must be authentic. The psalmist is shattered by his sin. He approaches God not with sacrifices, but by freely admitting brokenness and lostness.
 
Psalm 51 concludes with a prayer that moves beyond the sorrowful psalmist to include blessings for Jerusalem/Zion (vv. 18–19). This is a reminder that our prayers must move beyond ourselves. Sin is subtle. It continually attempts to guide us into a deeper sense of individual entitlement and self-centered focus. The mark of the truly repentant in part is the ability to pray beyond our personal needs for the good of the community around us.

How specifically does Psalm 51 teach you to pray when you have sinned?
 
Describe how the psalmist understands restoration, renewal, and forgiveness.

Finding True Security: Reading Psalm 46–48 (Part One)

 Psalms 46–48 form a trio of psalms that envision a secure foundation for the life of faith. They focus us as God’s people on the key relationship that guarantees our future. Each psalm serves as a praise to the LORD as the true king of the earth.
Let's begin with Psalm 46:

46 God is our refuge and strength,

    a very present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
³ though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
⁵ God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
    God will help her when morning dawns.
⁶ The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice, the earth melts.
⁷ The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

⁸ Come, behold the works of the Lord,
    how he has brought desolations on the earth.
⁹ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the chariots with fire.
¹⁰ “Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”
¹¹ The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Psalm 46:1 opens with a bold confession. Our God is an ever-present refuge in times of trouble. Chew on that for a few minutes. God is not wishy-washy. God is not only a god of the good times. The psalmist reminds us that God is dependable and present even in crisis moments when all seems lost. 
 
Verses 2–3 draw out the full implications of God-given security. We can lay aside our deepest fears. We all fear something. The psalmist however refuses to fear even the undoing of creation. Verses 2–3 describe a scenario in which creation (earth, mountains, sea, and waters) disintegrates. He pictures the catastrophic end of the world. The psalmist proclaims that with God there is always a future no matter what comes. That is true security.
 
The psalm takes a dramatic shift in verses 4–7. Its focus turns to the security and calm of God’s city: Jerusalem. In the Old Testament, Jerusalem or Zion represented the center of God’s kingdom. In Jerusalem stood the two pillars of God’s presence: the Davidic King or Messiah and the Temple where the glory of the LORD inhabited. Jerusalem was the city of the Great King who reigned through his Messiah and whom the people worshipped in the Temple. These verses describe peace in the midst of the chaos and uproar of the nations. The kingdoms of this world may threaten and practice violent injustice, but the true King serves as a fortress for his people who find refuge in him.
 
So what does the refuge of God mean for God’s people in a world of chaos and insecurity? This is an important question for us in the 21st century as our world is no less chaotic than it was in the psalmist’s day.
 
In verses 8–11, God speaks directly to creation including all of the raging nations. It is a portrait of the future kingdom of God when God makes all things new. These verses invite everyone including the raging nations to come and catch a glimpse of God’s abundant and peaceful future. Verse ten brings Ps 46 to a memorable climax with its call to stillness in the midst of the chaos of the present. There is a way to peace and security. It is not war. It is not manifestations of power and rage. Peace and security come from knowing and experiencing God as the exalted Lord and true King. The LORD is our refuge. We can live faithfully as his hands, feet, and mouthpieces in the world because the LORD has secured the future. 


Key Observation: Calmness and security are found in relationship with the true King of Creation—The LORD

Reflect on your deepest fears. How does Psalm 46 invite you to overcome them?

How often do you take time to quite your mind and reflect on the greatness of God? Where in your present life can you create 5-10 minutes to create a daily practice?

Ps 29: A Missional Reading

   Psalm 29 announces the eternal reign of the LORD. It portrays the revelation of the LORD's power through the imagery of a thunder storm. By doing so, Ps 29 subverts the claims of the Canaanite god Baal who was the storm god. This psalm models a missional use of culture to teach the truth about reality and God using the language of Israel's religious context.

Psalm 29

¹ Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
² Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

³ The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
    the God of glory thunders,
    the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
⁴ The voice of the Lord is powerful;
    the voice of the Lord is majestic.
⁵ The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
    the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
⁶ He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
    Sirion like a young wild ox.
⁷ The voice of the Lord strikes
    with flashes of lightning.
⁸ The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
    the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
⁹ The voice of the Lord twists the oaks
    and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

¹⁰ The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
    the Lord is enthroned as King forever.
¹¹ The Lord gives strength to his people;
    the Lord blesses his people with peace.

Psalm 29 is a hymn of praise that serves to declare the eternal kingship of the LORD. This is a psalm of orientation. It reminds us of the power, grandeur and prestige of God. It uses imagery drawn from its ancient Near Eastern context. It uses the imagery of creation and a thunderstorm. This language evoked feelings of awe for its original readers because it touched on core elements of Ancient Near Eastern religious thought. We need to read between the lines to hear its rich message in our 21^st century world.

In Israel’s day, all nations worshiped and served different gods and goddesses. One of the key ways of demonstrating the power of a god or goddess was through stories of the gods controlling and shaping creation. If a god had power over creation, this god could claim to be the true King. Another important element to show a God’s strength was the ability to create and sustain life. Rain was central to the well being of ancient people who depended on rainfall for the growing of food. For the ancient Canaanites, one of the most powerful gods was Baal. If you read through the Old Testament, Baal is one of the foreign deities that God’s people often turned to during times of apostasy (e.g., 1 Kings 18:20–40). Baal was the Story god and thus served as a god of fertility. The rain that he sent fertilized the earth and brought forth crops for the ancients.

In Psalm 29, the psalmist draws on language that is similar to the type of images associated with Baal and other similar gods. But there is one major difference. This is a psalm that declares boldly that it is the LORD who is the true king.

As we’ve been reading through the laments of Book 1 of the Psalter (Pss 1–41), we’ve repeatedly read prayers for protection from enemies. As part of these prayers, the psalmists have proclaimed their own integrity, devotion, and commitment to the LORD. We need to read these statements of integrity against the competing religions of the day. If the psalmists had lost their trust in the LORD, it would not mean that they would have become atheists as some do in our day. Instead they would have turned to some other god or goddess—perhaps the god or goddess of the people who were oppressing them.

 
Psalm 29 works against this by subverting the claims of competing gods. The Scriptures declare that the LORD is incomparable to any other god and in fact by the time of Isaiah the prophets declared of the LORD, “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other” (Isa 45:22). Yet the false worship of idols continued in Israel. Psalm 29 thus uses imagery that others used to worship Baal and shifted the language to make it about the LORD. The psalmist does this to lift up the LORD as our true source of security in the world. He is King. He alone can be trusted with our lives. 

Commentary on Psalm 29

Psalm 29 unfolds in three movements: vv. 1-2 is an invitation to the hosts of heaven to worship the LORD, vv. 3–9 describes the coming of the LORD in a storm, and vv. 10–11 contains God’s blessing on God’s people.

Psalm 29:1–2 exhort the hosts of heaven to give the LORD the honor due his name and worship him in all of his splendor. Psalm 29 begins not with God’s people on the earth but with the beings in the presence of God in his heavenly courtroom. We saw a similar exhortation in Ps 148:1–2. The scope of the worship implied in Ps 29 will be all inclusive: everyone everywhere will grant the LORD the honor and glory due his name.

The imagery for the LORD is majestic and emphasizes his overall awesomeness. The phrase “splendor of his holiness” emphasizes distinctiveness of the LORD as ethically perfect, the one who stands above and beyond creation, and who acts rightly in all circumstances.

Verses 3–9 give the basis for this call to praise. In these verses, the coming of the LORD is portrayed through the imagery of a powerful thunderstorm that is roaring and coming off the sea toward the temple. The thunder is likened to the voice of the LORD. It shatters the silence and echoes out across the waters. In the ancient world, the waters of the sea represented a chaotic and destructive force. Here the LORD’s voice in the thunder demonstrates God’s superiority over all other forces (vv. 3-4).

In verses 6–9a, the voice of the LORD subdues and strikes mighty trees, nations, and deserts. All of the place names in these verses stand outside of Israel proper. The implication is that the LORD is not merely the true King of Israel, but is indeed the King of all Creation. The storm imagery is vivid. Imagine the most severe thunderstorm you’ve experienced and feel the power of the language here as the psalmist helps us to feel coming of the LORD.

Verse 9b gives the only fitting response to the awe-inspiring arrival of the LORD in the storm. All who have gathered cry out, “Glory!” Glory is the perceived awesomeness and weightiness of God’s presence. It is an acknowledgement of God’s greatness and our smallness in his presence. It is the feeling that we get when we stand before a majestic mountain or a huge waterfall or come other wonder of the world.

Verses 10–11 make explicit the message of the storm imagery. The LORD is King of Creation and rules forever. The earth is secure for God’s people. The LORD strengthens them and extends his blessings to them.

     
This psalm invites us to ground our security in the knowledge and assurance that the God of Creation is alive and well. He sustains our world, but more importantly for us as we seek to live faithfully, he promises to sustain us as we journey through this world on mission.   
© 2016 Brian D. Russell  

Psalms: Understanding the Book's Structure

I created a 7 Minute Seminary video for Seedbed. In this video, I describe the structure of the book of Psalms.

How the Psalms Understand and Deal with Human Sin: Pss 32 and 36 as Case Studies

One of the presuppositions of Scripture is that humanity is lost apart from the grace, love, and kindness of God. God’s grace and love manifest most fully in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus our Messiah. Due to human sin, we all find ourselves living with the fruit of our own actions as well as the actions of others (past and present). Sin manifests itself in guilt, shame, alienation, brokenness, and injustice. God’s mission is to reverse the results of sin by creating a missional people through whom God will bless the nations (Gen 12:3, Exod 19:5–6, 1 Peter 2:9). The Risen Jesus sends us into this world. Paul summarizes the plight and possibility of our world this way: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:23–24).

How do we pray as we seek to live faithfully in our lost and fallen world? Psalms 32 and 36 focus on human sin and wickedness. They address this issue from two different perspectives. Both are psalms of lament, but they have different intentions.

Psalm 32 is a lament for the forgiveness of sin. It serves a key role in the psalter by teaching us how to pray when we as God’s people act unfaithfully and find ourselves in need of God’s forgiving grace. Psalm 32 models a prayer of confession so that we can experience God’s cleansing grace anew and refocus our lives on God’s mission.

Psalm 36 is a lament about wickedness. It is similar to Ps 1 in its stark contrast of two diametrically opposed ways of making it through the world. Psalm 36:1–4 paints a dark and bleak picture of the world and humanity apart from God’s grace. It locates the cause of sin in a self-centeredness that plagues men and women. No good comes from this way of life.

In contrast, the second half of the psalm focuses on the beauty and love of the LORD. Sin, self-centeredness, and alienation do not have to be the final verdict on life. In fact, it is pointless and illogical in contrast to the lavishness of God’s grace, love, and faithfulness that is freely available to all who seek the LORD.

As we reflect carefully on these two psalms in the next two blog post, we have an opportunity to ponder sin on one hand and God’s love and grace on the other. Both are present in the world, but only God’s love will be for all eternity. At this point it is worth reflecting on this question: What would it look like for you to settle the issue of sin and begin to align yourself fully with the love and grace of the LORD?

Trusting Fully in the LORD for Deliverance and Protection: Learning to Pray Ps 25

Psalm 25 is a lament grounded in deep trust. The psalmist prays to the LORD for forgiveness of sin and protection from enemies. This psalm teaches us to pray in trying times and invites us to receive and act on the LORD’s instruction to forge a godly character.

Psalm 25 uses an acrostic design. This means that in the original Hebrew each successive verse begins with the next letter in the Hebrew alphabet. This gives the psalm a unity and completeness. Verse 1 begins with the letter aleph and verse 21 with the letter tav. Verse 22 stands outside of the acrostic design and brings the psalm to a conclusion with a final plea for help.

1 In you, LORD my God, I put my trust.

2 I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.

3 No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.

4 Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths.

5 Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

6 Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.

7 Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, LORD, are good.

8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.

10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.

11 For the sake of your name, LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

12 Who, then, are those who fear the LORD? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.

13 They will spend their days in prosperity, and their descendants will inherit the land.

14 The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.

15 My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.

16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.

17 Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish.

18 Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.

19 See how numerous are my enemies and how fiercely they hate me!

20 Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.

21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, LORD, is in you.

22 Redeem Israel, O God, from all their troubles!

In verses 1–2, the psalmist twice declares his trust in the LORD. He addresses the LORD as “my God.” He recognizes his dependence on the LORD. This is the proper posture by which to approach the King of Glory (see Ps 24). The psalmist then petitions the LORD to keep him from shame and from the triumphs of his enemies. Verse 3 affirms the psalmist’s faith in the form of an affirmation that those who hope in the LORD will be spared shame at the hands of their enemies. The LORD will instead shame those who are intent on acting wickedly.

The psalmist recognizes his dependence on God and in vv. 4–7 asks for the LORD’s instruction so that he may walk faithfully through the world. Thus far, we’ve read psalms in which there is a clear line between the righteous and the wicked. The psalmist in Ps 25 includes himself with the righteous, but demonstrates a key trait for God’s people to nurture: a teachable spirit mixed with a desire for growth.

In verses 4–5a, the psalmist prays, “Show me your ways.” This is a prayer for the LORD to cause the psalmist to know the LORD’s ways or paths. The assumption is that life is a journey and guidance is necessary. A second assumption is that God is willing and able to teach. The psalmist understands that he needs the GPS of God to help him navigate the world.

In verses 5b–7, the psalmist grounds his prayer in his confidence in the LORD’s character.  In v. 5b, the psalmist declares his loyalty to God. The psalmist is “all in” in his trust. The LORD is plan A, B, C, and D. He recognizes that the LORD is his God and his Savior. 

The psalmist appeals to the core of the LORD’s character: his mercy and faithful love (cf. Exod 34:6–7a). These are the traits that the LORD demonstrated in saving God’s people from bondage in Egypt and in revealing to God’s people the Law on Sinai. The psalmist trusts that God will deal with him in the same way. The psalmist recognizes his own need for cleansing and asks God to deal with him out of his love and goodness. 

As we seek to grow into the people whom God desires for us to be, let us pray out of dependence and need while opening ourselves to God’s cleansing and empowerment.

 

In verses 1–7, the psalmist declared his trust and dependence on the LORD and appealed to the LORD’s love, mercy, and goodness as the basis for forgiving his sins and delivering him from enemies.

Now in the remainder of the psalm (vv. 8–22) the psalmist reiterates his need for deliverance and his belief in the LORD’s goodness. The psalmist moves back and forth in his prayer between proclaiming the guidance and kindness of God with his petitions for God to act to save him.

Verses 8–11 illustrate this well. In verses 8–10, the psalmist praises the LORD for his instruction and guidance. These flow directly out of God’s character. The psalmist describes the LORD as good, upright, loving, and faithful. In other words, the LORD embodies the positive traits that we long to experience in our own lives. The psalmist appeals to these core characteristics of the LORD by crying out for forgiveness for his own sense of lostness. Notice the phrase in v. 11, “for the sake of your name LORD.” The psalmist desires forgiveness not only as means of saving his own neck but for the testimony and honor that it will provide for the LORD. The psalmist can again join in the chorus of creation that will testify to the LORD’s goodness to those who do not know the LORD.

In verses 12–21, the pattern repeats. The psalmist describes God’s character and actions (vv. 12–14) and then the psalmist follows with a longer list of petitions (vv. 15–21). Verses 12–14 describe the benefits of being in proper relationship with the LORD (“those who fear the LORD”). God will instruct them and give them prosperity. The assumption is that God’s people desire and receive this guidance. Verse 14 mentions “covenant.” This likely refers to the Sinai covenant. At Sinai, God offered God’s people a relationship rooted in grace.

In vv. 15–21, the psalmist aligns himself and his hope for a future with the LORD. He sees in the God the only means of release from his bondage and affliction. The psalmist struggles both internally as a result of his sins, but he also faces serious challenges and danger from numerous enemies all around him. He releases all of his hurts and desires to God. This is a key step in prayer. The pray-er relinquishes to God all concerns. Doing this allows God’s people (including us) to live in the moment and free ourselves from the affliction of worry. Verse 21 is a final proclamation of the psalmist’s personal trust. The psalmist is direct and to the point: “my hope, LORD, is in you.” The psalmist does not waffle between options. If there is a way out, it will be through the help of the LORD.

 The psalmist concludes Ps 25 with a general petition for God to act on behalf of God’s people as whole to deliver them from all their troubles. This final verse reminds us that true piety can never be confined to our experiences as individuals. We must be mindful of our neighbor in our prayers too!

My God, Why Have you Forsaken Me?: Learning to Pray Psalm 22 (vv. 12-18)

The plight of the psalmist reaches its pinnacle in verses 12–18 and his faith is never more steady than in verses 19–21. 

¹² Many bulls surround me;
    strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
¹³ Roaring lions that tear their prey
    open their mouths wide against me.
¹⁴ I am poured out like water,
    and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
    it has melted within me.
¹⁵ My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
    and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
    you lay me in the dust of death.

¹⁶ Dogs surround me,
    a pack of villains encircles me;
    they pierce my hands and my feet.
¹⁷ All my bones are on display;
    people stare and gloat over me.
¹⁸ They divide my clothes among them
    and cast lots for my garment.

¹⁹ But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
    You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
²⁰ Deliver me from the sword,
    my precious life from the power of the dogs.
²¹ Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
    save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
The intensity of lament boils in these verses (vv. 12-13). There appears to be no way out for the psalmist. He metaphorically views his enemies as wild and ravenous beasts seeking his life. Close your eyes and picture yourself surrounded by any of the following: a herd of angry bulls, a pride hungry lions, or a pack a wild dogs. Terrifying. This is how the psalmist feels. His body responds physically to the terror and pain (vv. 14–15).

Verses 12–18 connect directly with Jesus’ last hours on the cross. He cried out in thirst, opponents surrounded him, and the soldiers responsible for his execution gambled for his clothing.
These verses are meant to sound extreme because suffering is devastating and shocking. We’ve all experienced it in some form. Whether its the loss of a loved one, the suffering caused by illness (our own or of a loved one), the loneliness and grief of a broken relationship or marriage, or the sheer, or aftermath of some other trauma, the words of Psalm 22 give us vocabulary and phrases and serve to model prayer for moments of authentic desperation. Jesus looked to this psalm. So can we.
 
If verses 12–18 function as the psalmist’s words as he reaches the bottom of the pit, it is profound to remember and recognize that God is still present. This is one of the most vital resources for the faithful. We may literally reach the end of our rope, exhausted all of our resources, and have no one on earth to help us, but our future is not depended on any part of creation. The psalmist continues to hope in God and in verses 19–21 offers a final impassioned cry and pray for help. Read the psalmist’s words in these verses again. Note how they connect with his description of his plight.
 
When we pray to God, we do not have to sugar coat our words. The promise of the Gospel is that God already knows our needs (Matt 6:8). So why hide our true feelings and deepest desires? The psalmist is surrounded on all sides by enemies who seem like famished beasts. So what does he pray for? The psalmists asks specifically for deliverance and rescue from dogs, lions, and wild oxen. Notice that these are in the reverse sequence of their appearance in vv. 12–18 where the order was bulls, lions, and dogs.
 
The psalmist prays for God’s presence and help (v. 19). This is the key to prayer. The psalmist recognizes that God is present, able, willing, and powerful enough to save. Sometimes we mistakenly believe that it is the amount of our faith that activates God’s actions. It’s not. Faith is only as powerful as its object. Our God is able to hear our prayers and bring deliverance. Jesus prayed Psalm 22. This did not alleviate his suffering immediately, but we know that resurrection occurred on the other side of suffering and death. The psalmist in Ps 22 experienced deliverance and answer to his prayers. He will tell us this story in the concluding verses of the psalm (vv. 22–31).

How do verses 12–21 teach us to pray in the midst of our suffering?
 
What role does faith play in our prayers for help?

Giving Thanks for God's Deliverance of the Messiah: Learning to Pray Ps 18 (Part 1)

Psalm 18 is the third longest psalm after Pss 78 and 119. Psalm 18 focuses on the victory that God gives to Israel’s king. Like Psalm 2, it is a royal psalm. This means that it was originally written as a psalm for use in the celebration of David or one of his descendants. Royal psalms offer a tangible this worldly focus for the security that God’s people desire as they seek to walk faithfully through the world. From our previous reading of Ps 2 and Ps 146, we know that the book of Psalms makes two related moves regarding human kingship.

First, the book of Psalms was organized for worship after Israel’s exile to Babylon and return to the land. Historically, this meant that Israel did not have its own king. Post-exile, the Persians, Greeks, and Romans ruled over God’s people from 538 BC onwards. The only exception was the brief period following the Maccabean revolt (142 BC–63 BC) where God’s people enjoyed self–rule. Thus, when Israel prayed and sang the royal psalms, they were asking the LORD to restore the Davidic king. These psalms served as longings for the coming of God’s messiah who would renew God’s kingdom and guide God’s people in faithfulness.

Second, the psalms offered a critique of human leadership. We saw in our reading of Psalm 146 that it warned against trusting in any human leader. The LORD was the true king.

As Christians, these two elements—a longing for the messiah and distrust of human leaders— found a powerful resolution in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah. Jesus is the long–awaited son of David, and he is also God. Thus, as followers of Jesus, we read Israel’s royal psalms as prayers and praises to God for the victory over sin, injustice, oppression, and evil that he offers to all who trust and follow Jesus.

In verses 1–19, the king gives thanks to the LORD for leading him to victory. We’ll focus on vv. 1–6 for today’s lesson.

¹ I love you, Lord, my strength.

² The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
    my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield^[b] and the horn^[c] of my salvation, my stronghold.

³ I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
    and I have been saved from my enemies.
⁴ The cords of death entangled me;
    the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
⁵ The cords of the grave coiled around me;
    the snares of death confronted me.

⁶ In my distress I called to the Lord;
    I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
    my cry came before him, into his ears.

Verses 1–3 praise the LORD with rich and dynamic language. These lines have inspired countless hymns and contemporary praise songs that God’s people use to this day. The previous two psalms (Pss 16–17) focused on God as a refuge. These verses give us words to describe what this means. The LORD is a rock, a fortress, a shield, a deliverer, and the horn of salvation. The LORD is worthy to be praised because the psalmist has experienced the power of God’s salvation. This is not a lament; this is the testimony of answered prayer. The LORD is a refuge because he is the God who saves.

Vv. 4–6 describe the psalmist’s previous condition as truly desperate. He was trapped in death. The waters of the underworld ensnarred him. When we think of this psalm as ultimately a praise for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we can read vv. 1–6 as a declaration of the victory that the LORD rendered through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus died on the cross, but God vindicated him by raising him triumphantly from the grave. This is the true ground for our security.

How do the opening six verses teach us to give thanks and praise to the LORD?

What are some areas in your life for which you can give thanks to God today?

How does this psalm help us to praise God for the death and resurrection of Jesus?