When David wrote his Psalms, he often “signed” them with an introduction. Sometimes he gave musical instructions which let us know that they were originally sung. In addition to that, sometimes the introduction told us the purpose of the Psalm.
...useful for teaching... (Psalm 60)
A prayer of David (Psalm 86, 142)
...asking God to remember him. (Psalm 38, 70)
A meditation… (Psalm 53)
Have you ever used Psalms for teaching? Do you learn from them yourself? Have you ever prayed through certain Psalms? Some of them were intended for that purpose. Sometimes the purpose was less “personal” and more “formal.” Some of the Psalms were intended for large groups of people, to lead them into worship of The LORD.
...A song for the dedication of the Temple. (Psalm 30)
A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. (Psalms 122, 124, 131-3)
A psalm of praise of David. (Psalm 145)
Does music lead you into worship of The LORD? What kind of music? Do you sing God’s praises? David did.
He sang: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the One who saves me from violence. (2 Samuel 22:1-3 NLT)
Sometimes a Psalm of David will summarize and then list the reasons that he praises The LORD. Psalm 18 (2 Samuel 22) is one such Psalm.
"The LORD lives! Praise to my Rock! May God, the Rock of my salvation, be exalted! He is the God who pays back those who harm me; He brings down the nations under me and delivers me from my enemies. You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies; you save me from violent opponents. For this, O LORD, I will praise you among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name. You give great victories to Your king; you show unfailing love to Your anointed, to David and all his descendants forever." (2 Samuel 22:47-51 NLT)
How about you? What drives you to pray to The LORD? What drives you to praise The LORD?
No comments:
Post a Comment