Psalms

TUES., AUG. 8, 1989, 6:21 AM
UNIV. OF MAINE, FARMINGTON

Psalms are an “old-fashioned” way of addressing Me, as Almighty God. I had encouraged prayers, but then I, the Holy Spirit, even then interested in “innovations” developed the idea of a psalm. A psalm is a prayer in song-form. You don’t sing now the way the old, original psalms were written, so it is hard to imagine exactly how to sing them. You assume they would sound like Michael’s singing/chanting/cantoring in his orthodox service, and this is as close as you’ve experienced.

This way of expressing yourself in song, praise, thanksgiving, and lament is not something you aspire to do, but you found that writing psalms, at Synod School, was not difficult. (Be sure and send those you wrote to My servant Al.) So today, in this two part Teaching, I shall speak to you of psalms.

You have much to be thankful for. The psalm is a way of expressing thanks. This can be expressed directly as “Thanks be to God for opportunities like this one”… or it can be more indirect, as “Opportunities just arise, O Lord, and I know that you have been responsible.” The direct affirmation of thanks is good, but so is the affirmation of your faith that I have been with you, with thanks implied.

Beyond thanksgiving is praise. You are not only thankful for what I have done in your life (and, remember, whether or not I actually did that for which you thank or praise me is irrelevant), but you offer praise for My actions or My presence. “How great you are, O Lord, for giving Me the spirit that shines forth as I speak.” “I shall praise you, O Lord, as my life moves along in such a beautiful way.” Thanks is implied, but the mode is praise. Now I don’t need to be praised, and I may well not actually deserve it, but it is the attitude I want of you. Offer more praise to others, also. This is spirit being exercised.

6:55 / 2:08 PM (airport)

Then there are psalms of lament. Though I have told you that it shall not be proper for you to be sorry for yourself, no matter what should befall you, an occasional psalm of lament may be warranted. You see, it is possible to lament some happening or some result and still not feel resentment toward Me. It may be the expression of an honest emotion or an honest expression of spirit. “Harken to me, O Lord, when I wish fervently to be outstanding at what I do. This causes me sorrow, but I still rejoice that you have given me the capacities that I have.” “You have given me the best wife for a lifetime, and yet, O Lord, I must lament that I cannot be all that she needs in a husband. Hear my lament, and lead me in ways that shall more enrich her life.”

Psalms can express joy and happiness. Life should be lived in joy, and the more this is expressed the more you will actually feel it. “It is joy, joy that I feel, O Lord, in the task I just have finished. And now my joy turns toward home and all that this means to me.”

A song is a psalm, and a psalm is a song to Me. A psalm is a prayer, with a quality of song implied. The line in the song that many of these teachers appreciated went: “plant your rows straight and long, temper them with prayer and song.” This implies that even in the mundane event so life there can be a psalm… that mystical combination of prayer and song.

For the rest of this week read the psalms of David, My king. He was one who had a feeling for psalms, and who was bold enough to express what he felt. Some were appreciated and written down. And so one “heart” of the Scriptures is that Book of Psalms. Perhaps sometime you shall offer a psalm that says: “Glory to you, O Lord, and thanks never ceasing that the Psalms are part of my life. How wonderful that you have put these into the heart of David, of Asaph, and of others. How sad it is that I have not appreciated these until now. But now I sing a new psalm to the Psalms.”