The Psalms as a Living Portrait

As I read through the Psalms this week, a giant mural emerged in my imagination, which I envision as the psalmists’ worldview:

Most of this mural is filled with the blazing Light of God. The bottom portion is lined with hordes of evil people which are depicted as dark fleeting shadows dotted with smug, defiant eyes. Swirls of consuming fire from God are poised over them. Amidst this scene I see the psalmist - lonely, vulnerable, and pleading for justice. He is wrapped in a tender wisp of the Light. This wisp extends out to others – the brokenhearted, the unborn, the fatherless and foreigner. A few saints are seen pleading for God’s mercy, lest his presence be withdrawn.

In the right corner of the mural I see a small gathering of saints. They are facing the Light and praising God for his faithful covenant promises. Although surrounded by evil, these saints are bathed in gentle Light. They rest expectantly on lush green grass. Trailing behind them is a long line of forbearers donned in royal purple; and in the foreground are hints of their future offspring. Nature joins them all in praise for God’s ultimate eternal triumph over evil.

Beside this mural I envision a contrasting mural: our modern worldview. In the center is the iconic “self”. It is surrounded by an eclectic mass of disconnected humans, all busy trying to make life work – mostly by managing problems. A few bedraggled church folk are off to the side. A scholar is seen in a corner writing intricate comments about a lifeless picture of Jesus.

Clearly, the Psaltery cannot convey its full sense of reality to worshippers today apart from a significant conceptual leap. For the psalmist, God is central, and there are only two kinds of existence: facing toward God or turning against God. Praise is uttered in response to assurance of divine justice and the fulfillment of promises rooted in time. That is not today’s worldview.

Yet the psalms can be powerfully transformative when allowed to judge our reality. By reviving the psalmists’ worldview, the psalms can serve to prepare the heart for Christ and to accept his path to blessing - as reflected in the beatitudes.

By D. E.

Hello Jesus-is-GOD,
Thank you for your thoughts, and also your comment about "breaking teeth". I once addressed that exact scripture. It's in a reading which I will include here. Perhaps it will be helpful.

Prayer: Breathing with God

Pray in the Spirit on all occasions,
with all kinds of prayers and requests Eph. 6:18

One of the most remarkable privileges of the indwelling Spirit is prayer. Through prayer we commune directly with God. Prayer is breathing along with the breath of God’s Spirit: We exhale impure air through our confessions; we release our needs and desires; and we express our praises and concerns. We then inhale the fresh breath of God - his promises, his joy, and his life. We hear his perspective, his personal guidance, and receive his assurance. Through prayer we come to know God and also ourselves. Faith, hope, and love grow strong. In prayer our spiritual life is constantly revitalized.

The Bible is filled with prayers spoken by all kinds of people. Here I address one type of prayer: the complaint psalm. We don’t hear this kind in church - especially words like: “O God, break the teeth in their mouths” from Psalm 58:6. Complaint prayers can be disturbing. They may sound self righteous or paranoid, or even vengeful. These utterances are really “samplings of private spiritual journals of people struggling with what they believe.” 1 God is the intended audience. The words are honest expressions, so they ring true. The key here is that, even when everything is going badly and life is falling apart, the psalmist is still talking with God and has not turned his back on God.

The complaint psalms teach an important lesson: When things get unbearable or injustices assail us - when life is more than we can bear, we must still face our heavenly Father. He can handle our rants. We can vent our pain and process our thoughts in his presence. We refuse to turn our backs on God by taking vengeance in our own hands or suppressing our fear, grief, and rage. We realize that we are utterly dependent on God, and are convinced that God will come through for us. We know he, himself, will avenge evil. Rom. 12:19

At the end of Psalm 58, we see that the psalmist has settled down. He says, “Surely the righteous will be rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth.” Ps. 58:11 These words indicate a sense of hope.

Prayer can be like that for us: We wrestle through with God. We utter all our disturbed and chaotic thoughts – maybe in journaling, poetry or art; or we let scriptures express for us what we are unable to. After the storm, we become silent in God’s presence, breathing quietly with the Spirit … waiting … resting in him - our only hope.