Ancient prayers: the psalms

The psalms help us when we cannot find words to capture feelings of loss or abandonment or frustration or betrayal or delight or joy or faith. Or when we are afraid to talk about those feelings to God for fear God will be mad at us.

Written across centuries, spoken around campfires and in a palace before being recorded, these words capture the feelings of people who think that God cares about them, but aren’t exactly sure.

People like us.

When we are adrift in figuring out how to connect our feelings and God’s actions, or inaction, we can read through psalms.

For example:

When I want to commit to living right: Psalm 1

When I want to invite God to care for me: Psalm 23

When I am feeling abandoned by God: Psalm 22 (which starts with words spoken be Jesus on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”)