Psalm: Poetry To God

What is a Psalm?
• Poetry written for God
• By King David in the book of Psalms
• Sometimes a song or just recited
• In Hebrew, literally means “praises”
• We sing about these in church

Joy
Psalm 98

Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
The LORD has made his salvation known
and revealed his righteousness to the nations.

He has remembered his love
and his faithfulness to the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
make music to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn
shout for joy before the LORD, the King.

Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
Let the mountains sing together for joy;
let them sing before the LORD,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.

Praising in Pain
• Psalms are not always so happy
• David expresses deep pain at time
• What’s beautiful about psalm is not content
• What’s beautiful is writing to God
• What’s praise is communicating with God

Sorrow
Psalm 13

How long, O LORD?
Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Look on me and answer,
O LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes,
or I will sleep in death;
my enemy will say,
“I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD,
for he has been good to me.

Is This You?
• Do you feel forgotten?
• Do you feel like God has turned his face?
• Do you wrestle with your thoughts?
• Do you have sorrow in your heart?
• Do you feel everyone is against you?
• You’re not the only one

Matthew 27:45-46

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour
darkness came over all the land.
About the ninth hour Jesus
cried out in a loud voice,
“Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”
— which means —
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Jesus Was Singing His
Life Song To Others

Psalm 22:1-8, 24, 31
Salvation

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent.
Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.
In you our fathers put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.

They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.
But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads:
“He trusts in the LORD;
let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”

For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.
They will proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet unborn —
for he has done it.

Declaration of Praise
• Psalms demand the attention of God
• Psalms declare the attributes of God
• Psalms encourages the writer to be active
• Psalms turn the situation around
• Psalms turn our attention to God
• Psalms demand a response

What Song Do You
Sing To The World?

Ephesians 5:19

Speak to one another with
psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.
Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,

Colossians 3:16

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly
as you teach and admonish one another
with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms,
hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude
in your hearts to God.

You Are The Psalm
What Does Your Song Sound Like?

Write Your Life Song