Day 12: Psalms

Long before iPhone's "there's an app for that" slogan, there were the Psalms. And, believe me, there's a Psalm for that, "that" being just about any human condition. The Psalms are amazing because they show God's acknowledgement and approval of the whole range of human emotion. The Psalms are about us reacting to God, to His attributes and His actions. Through them, we can learn about Him, worship Him, or cry out to Him in all our humanness.

If you read straight through the Psalms, you could find a Psalm that expresses any human emotion and feeling. In facing trials, they range from assured hope to deadly despair. Joy comes in more than 31 flavors: from the raw, ecstatic joy -- that reminds me of David dancing like a madman when the Ark of the Covenant was returned to Jerusalem --  to a hopeful, peaceful joy. Even limiting yourself to the letter "A", you'll find anger, awe, anxiety, apathy, anticipation, and anguish all described in the Psalms.
 
Awe:
"For the Lord is the great God, the great Kind above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him." (95:3-4)
"The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake." (99:1)

Anticipation:
"come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay." (70:5).
"My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God (84:2)

Anguish: "Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long." (86:3)

But reading through the Psalms to see the range of emotion misses something important. The Psalms are full of hidden treasure revealed only an "as  needed" basis: the same way manna was given long ago; the same way grace is given today; the same way the birthday presents and "just because" presents hidden in my closet are given to two certain children. You can read a Psalm of anguish many times; but when you are in anguish, the extra treasure is opened to you. If you feel bitterness or shame, the Psalms expressing these feelings suddenly jump out at you, giving words to your base emotions, helping you express yourself to God. The meaning is revealed and the heartfelt emotion resonates between you and the Psalmist to the glory of God and to the comfort of you. The Psalms can be STAT care for the hurting heart, emotional ER.

When you feel God's protective hand upon you, a Psalm can express your joy and gratitude in ways that lift your heart to soaring glory. They can be the box of confetti to throw at your homecoming party, the fireworks to celebrate His faithfulness, the morning prayer when you hear the spring song of birds and feel the quiet joy of a new day.

No matter what emotions are expressed, the Psalms almost always return to quiet assurance and praising God. And that's a beautiful reminder that our human emotions are God pleasing but that our call is to faith and worship.