Discover how Psalms for comfort and strength can uplift and inspire you today. Find solace in the promises of God.
The Psalms have been called the songbook of the Bible. In fact, many of them were originally set to music. King David wrote many of the Psalms, which were intended to be used as an aid to prayer or meditation. Unlike other parts of the Bible that deal with Mosiac law, the parables of Jesus, or even the early church, the Psalms point us to God in a different way. They can give us words to express our deepest emotions. The Psalms give us poetic encouragement to praise God loudly. They also give us language for challenging times and very real and strong emotions that we might feel. Consequently, they help us connect with powerful emotions like grief or lament in a very authentic way. The Psalms are a "real" book that gives us a roadmap to help us connect with the heart of God no matter how we're feeling. And this is important.
Its important because there are times when our emotions seem overwhelming. Consequentially, sometimes its easy to ignore or diminish the way we're feeling. After all, feelings can be messy! Yet, the Psalms themselves remind us that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made." The Book of Genesis tells us that we are made in the image of God Himself. So, it stands to reason that if a loving God created us with the ability to experience strong emotions, He would also give us the agency and language to express them in conversation with Him. The Psalms help us to surface these strong feelings and give us the language to bring them to God in worship. In fact, the safest place to express joy anguish, sadness, grief, or despair is before God, our Father in worship. He created us to worship Him and welcomes us to do so, whatever we're going through.
One of the best ways that Psalms can provide comfort and strength is when we learn to actively pray through them. For example, take a famous Psalm like Psalm 23. Read it through several times consecutively. First, just quietly to yourself. Secondly, read it out loud but slowly, paying attention to any verses that jump out of the page or really speak to you. Then, using these verses, pray through them individually, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal Himself and His will to you as you pray. As you go on through your day, call to mind the verses that you prayed earlier and ask the Holy Spirit to keep ministering to you.
Here are ten examples from the Psalms that offer comfort and strength. Try praying them out loud as part of your daily meditation. Or, commit one or two to memory so that you can call them to mind when you need comfort and strength. "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."Psalm 23:4 "The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?"Psalm 27:1 - "The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:17-18 "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1 "Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken." Psalm 55:22 "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'" Psalm 91:1-2 "My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life." Psalm 119:50 "I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." Psalm 121:1-2 "When I called, you answered me; you greatly emboldened me."Psalm 138:3 - "If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there, your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." Psalm 139:9-10
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