I am thrilled to share my thoughts on these Psalms with you! This is a special book to my heart. When I have felt myself in the grips of anxiety or depression, this book has comforted me, assuring me that the negative feelings I have are universal.
Right away in Psalms 22:1, we see the familiar words that were echoed by Jesus on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (NKJV). I remember reading this psalm when I was going to an extended time of grief, and I cried as I read, feeling like these words could have been yelled from my own mouth: “I cry in the daytime, but you do not hear” (verse 2, NKJV). And while I know this is a prophetic psalm about what Jesus would later go through, I, too, have felt like a worm, hated by people, treated poorly, been made fun of for my beliefs (verse 6-8).
But what I love most about the book of Psalms is how there is always a “but.” David or the writers go through these times of suffering, BUT they always find hope and deliverance. They always remember that the God who has taken care of them from the womb (verse 9) is still here. And we can cry out to him these same words: “Be not far from [m]e, for trouble is near; For there is none to help” (verse 11, NKJV). He is always near, even when we don’t feel Him. And while I love the prophecy that we see proven to be true in the New Testament, I also love that today, these words still ring true in my own heart.
And then, we read the famous 23rd psalm (or, as I like to think of it, the psalm I recited feverishly while getting my gall bladder tested and I was terrified of throwing up). If you have not memorized the short six verses that make up this psalm, DO IT! Since I began attending SoGF, our pastor has taught two different series on this psalm, and both have changed my life. Both gave me the hope and the strength I needed, and these verses come to my mind and heart when I need them most. It won’t take long to hide these in your heart.
In Psalms 24, David reflects on the power and might of God. There is a great song by Third Day called “King of Glory” that echoes these thoughts—give it a listen!
Psalms 25 is a beautiful psalm. I have always loved this because of the raw pain you hear in the words as David begs God for more faith, more understanding, more courage. He pleads for forgiveness and mercy, and he wants to learn from his mistakes, his HUGE mistakes (verse 11). Psalms 26 is similar in tone, except now David asks God to see how often he has done right, and how he wants to be set apart from those who do evil. He is committed to walking the right path (vv. 11-12).
Then in Psalms 27 David reminds us (and himself) that if you have God, you have everything. He reflects on all the times God protected him in the face of certain death, and then asks God to stay with him, even when everyone else has turned away from him. He ends with words I love:
“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed / That I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. / Wait on the Lord; / Be of good courage, / And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!” (vv. 13-14, NKJV).
This week, I encourage you not to lose heart. Trust with courage in God’s unending grace and love and power—and wait on Him. He will strengthen you again and again.
Blessings to you,
Alexandra Shloss
