Why meditate on the Psalms – Part 2

This is the second post in a short series looking at the importance of the Psalms in the devotional life of the believer and in the worship life of a church. We are currently looking at the Psalms in our church so…why meditate on the Psalms?

(2)   They remind us that following Jesus is a journey

I am just about to read Eugene Peterson’s classic “A long obedience in the same direction – discipleship in an instant culture”, which looks at the songs of ascents (Psalms 120-135).  On our first Sunday as we looked at Psalm 1 we were reminded that the Psalms teach us that there are “2 ways to live” or “2 paths to choose”, and they help us choose the narrow path that leads to life (Matthew 7.13-14).

In the beginning we were made to walk with God in the cool of the day (Genesis 3.8), but all that went wrong and we have been wandering aimlessly and restlessly ever since. Through Jesus we can come back to walking with God, but we need help; our hearts are prone to distraction, despondency, drifting and disobedience (just look at the sad story of the journey Israel took for 40 years!). The Psalms help us to remain faithful; they keep our hearts tender; they keep us talking to God in all seasons in the journey and they cultivate our affections towards God.

The first title ever given to the church in the book of Acts was “followers of the way” (Acts 9.2) – we are called to follow Jesus on a journey which has highs and lows, joy and sorrow, moments of rest and moments of agony. The Psalms help us stay close to God and enjoy fellowship with him at every stage of the journey, until we reach the promised land.

So we should meditate on the Psalms to help us in our journey with and towards God.

Part 3 tomorrow