Pondering Psalms
“I will praise the Lord,
and may everyone on earth
bless His holy name forever and ever.”
Psalm 145:21 (NLT)
Often early in the morning I spend time with God and simply open my Bible to the book of Psalms. What I find is truly incredible! I never tire of the collection, and always find encouragement, comfort and closeness to our Heavenly Father.
This morning as I read chapter 145, I thought of all the beauty found within this book and felt led to share some thoughts with you.
Jesus quoted the Psalms and many of those direct our hearts towards Himself, Christ the Messiah.
Here are some interesting tidbits about this captivating book:
Longest book of the Bible with 150 chapters.
Psalm 119 is the longest with 176 verses.
Located in the very center of the Bible.
It is a collection of songs and prayers.
Comprised of 5 books and parallels
the first 5 books of the Bible.
1- Psalms 1-41 - Genesis
2-Psalms 42-72 - Exodus
3-Psalms 73-89 - Leviticus
4-Psalms 90-106 - Numbers
5-Psalms 107-150 - Deuteronomy
Themes-
Praise, God’s Power, Forgiveness,
Thankfulness, Trust.
The Psalms have inspired countless hymns and modern Christian music. Did you know “How Great Thou Art” is based upon Psalm 8 and is ranked second on a list of favorite hymns of all time in a survey by Christianity Today magazine in a poll taken in 2001 and in a nationwide poll by songs of Praise in 2019? *
Reading and meditating on these verses is one method of praising God, learning more about God and ourselves. We can approach God here to be forgiven and learn to forgive someone who has hurt us. We can find God’s comfort and strive towards becoming who God wants us to be.
Through the Psalms we realize God is close to all who call on Him (Psalm 145:18). He grants the desires of those who fear him (Psalm 145:19). He hears our cry for help and rescues us (Psalm 145:19). The Lord protects us (Psalm 145:20).
I’ll share a few of my favorites and invite you to sit with each and explore what God may be saying to you.
16 - God as our companion
19 - God’s creation and His greatness
27 - Declaration of praise
63 - Desiring God
84 - God’s living presence
119 - A lamp unto my feet
136 - Give thanks
Dear Father, Thank You for Your inspiration in the writing of the Psalms. We trust and believe all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. We never want to take for granted the power of your holy WORD. We ask your Holy Spirit to draw us nearer when we read your WORD and help us to apply Your WORD to our daily lives. We pray this in the precious name of Jesus Christ.
Steffen, Bonne (September -October 2001), “The Ten Best Worship Songs” Todays Christian, retrieved 2 February 2008
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