Saturday, February 11, 2017

A Summary Of Normal Christianity Found In The Psalms

By Carolyn Stewart


Each book of the bible has a unique approach to Christian living. The Psalms thus presents a unique proposal on living like a Christian. Normal Christianity found in the psalms can be viewed from different angles based on the teachings of different chapters. This normal life involves gratitude, humility, praise, following the law and many other ways of living a sanctified life.

The opening chapter is a perfect place to start for any Christian. It sets the foundation for Christian living which is following the law of the Lord. As one follows the law, he is required to avoid the paths of sinners. Beyond doing and not doing, one is required to meditate upon the word. While there is a promise of prosperity for the people who follow the law, the wicked are left to perish.

Chapter 23 is on the lips of almost everyone. When David declared that the Lord was his shepherd, he was exalting His providence nature. God is portrayed as powerful as to allow you wine and dine on the table with enemies. Because of this goodness and providence, one will live with God forever.

Chapter 121 begins with a cry and ends with exaltation of God. David must have been down and almost out to inquire about the source of his strength. He then proclaims that it comes from the creator of heaven and earth, who never sleeps or abandons his creation. This Lord preserves the lives of people he has created and protects them from trouble. His protection according to David is both day and night.

Christians may feel lost or losing faith in their existence. Chapter 42 perfectly captures this feeling. It is a feeling of needing God and desiring to be with him in heaven. This feeling is best exemplified by a deer panting for cool waters. The psalmist even wishes the old days when he led worshipers to the temple would return. This is a psalm of cry during desperation.

Evil doers sometimes appear to thrive to the point of righteous people envying them. This is the scenario captured in Psalms 37. The chapter warns that the ways of evil doers lasts as short as grass fire. Their prosperity may appear glorious and as though it is unpunished, but it only lasts for a while. For the righteous, theirs is the inheritance of the earth.

Sometimes Christians feel as though they can hide from God only for Him to appear at their perceived secret place. This is the message of chapter 139 where the psalmist says that the Lord has searched him and knows who he is. He knows when he is going in and when he is going out. It is surrender that no matter how far one wants to run from God, He knows everything.

All the teachings and reflections a Christian would like to live a holistic life can be found in the Psalms. The book encompasses a cocktail of exaltation, praise, defiance, submission, etc. The message is put in such a simplistic and poetic tone that makes it easy to deceiver the lessons and thus live a fulfilling life.




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