Foundations: Books III and IV of Psalms
Part 2: Psalms 73-106 | 16 Day Devotional
If you have ever struggled with watching
non-Christians be blessed while good Christians suffer, or have fallen into
sin… again, or wondered why God
doesn’t just deal with all the bad stuff right away, you will find yourself
among friends in these psalms. Books III and IV of The Psalms are chock full of
reminders of God’s sovereignty and love, as well as His justice and
forgiveness. Be encouraged as you work your way through some of the toughest questions
of life and be filled with joy as you learn to praise God in brand new ways.
Psalm
103:17-18 (ESV)
"But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting
to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's
children, to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his
commandments.”
Introduction
The Book of Psalms is divided into five smaller
books. In this Foundations booklet we will be making our way through Books III
and IV. Throughout these books there are a few themes. The first is that of
sovereignty. We will be reminded of God as Creator and the way His hand is in
every aspect of life.
Another theme paramount in these chapters is
that of Remembrance. Over and over we will read the history of God’s people and
we will observe psalmists reciting the many things God has done, all for the
purposes of reminding ourselves and others of God’s power, goodness, and
faithful, unending love. The Psalms use remembering as a method to bring us perspective
when times are hard. The psalmists also communicate to us the importance of
passing on the stories of God’s faithfulness in our lives. We will be
challenged to share our stories so the future generations will know of God and
His great love and faithfulness.
Thankfulness is another huge component of this
portion of Scripture. As we remember what God has done, we, along with the
psalmists, will be moved to thankfulness. Many of the psalms actually are songs
of thanks.
God’s immense and everlasting love is the
over-arching theme of all these psalms. When the psalmists questions, why the
wicked prosper and the godly suffer, he directs our eyes to God’s eternal love
and justice for the answer. So many times we will read of God’s wrath,
punishment and justice but we will also see that God’s motivation for all this
is actually His love for people. Even in the darkest day, in the midst of suffering,
in the midst of discipline and punishment, God’s love overflows toward us. We
see God’s tender heart relenting as people beg Him for answers. We watch as He
changes His mind about something because one of His beloved people asked Him
to. If ever there was a part of Scripture that revealed both God’s soft side
amidst the tragedy and heartaches of life, it would be this set of psalms. Love
is clearly God’s number one motivator for all He does.
Engaging with God through Books III and IV of
The Psalms will stretch us as we are challenged to grapple with God’s control
over every aspect of our lives. In order to be more equipped to face our
current difficulties, we’ll be encouraged to bring to the forefront of our
minds all God has done. Sharing our testimonies and displaying God’s glory in
our lives will become a practical way to worship God. From all this grows a
deeper heart of thanks and praise for all He has done, is doing and will
continue to do. Responding to His love, whether in thanks or quick repentance,
will be a much easier thing to do.
JOURNALING AND
PRAYER
1. Which of the
themes of this set of Psalms has the Lord recently been speaking to your heart
about? (Sovereignty, Remembrance, Thankfulness, Love) Ask the Lord what theme
He really wants to grow in you as you do this study. Write that down and ask
Him to give you a teachable heart during this season.
2. What burden or
difficulty are you experiencing right now? Ask God to show you if you really
believe He is powerful enough to take care of the situation. Ask Him to bring
to mind the many ways he has been faithful in the past so you can have hope for
this situation as well. Take some time to thank Him for His intimate
involvement in this specific situation.
3. Ask the Lord to allow
you to experience His love for you right now. What does Jesus want to say to
you about how much He loves you? Ask Him to give you word, thought or picture
about how long His love for you will last. Bask in His love and worship Him.
