Don’t skip that Psalm - Concluding the Summer Playlist of Psalms

Intro

Outline:

Many thanks to Jen and Lauren for all of their Godly leadership in shepherding our kiddos,in partnership with parents to lead them in the way of the Lord. I love being on staff with them, and the impact it has not only for my family and our church but in our schools, and in our community. Let’s thank Him for what He is doing through them…

There was a couple…lets call them…Jack and Martha. Jack and Martha weere High School sweethearts, raised a family there in Brunswick, Georgia. Martha taught 3rd grade and Jack was a driver for the local paper mill. At age 60, just before retirement, Jack came down with a flu that never let up. He began to lose weight. A once avid runner, Jack couldn’t seem to walk much without hurting.

After going to the doctor, Jack was diagnosed with luekemia and it went fast. In what seemed like no time at all, the end was near and Martha was at his bedside. As they talked about final moments, Jack talked of his love of their church, his love of old ray charles records, and his love for where they had made a home there in Georgia. They shed tears…Jack passed not long after their conversation.

Just 5 days later, Martha was asked if she had any suggestions for a song to be played over the PA at their church at jacks memorial that following weekend. Martha smiled and said she would love to hear Georgia on my mind by Ray Charles to reflect two of Jacks loves. Ray Charles and Georgia.

The time went quickly and soon enough the memorial is happening with the moment in the service to come. As the sound person goes to click play on the song, he clicks one two many times and the computer skips the song Georgia on my Mind and instead begins playing “Hit the Road Jack” by Ray Charles. Thankfully, the family had a good laugh and thought Jack was smiling too. Many walked away chuckling how they had never witnessed something quite like it at a memorial service.

What is true is that not all art forms…not all art types are great for every moment. There is a good poem, a good painting , a good song for a moment and their is a poem, a painting, a song that doesn’t fit that moment. Although some of you are thinking now about having Hit the Road Jack played at your celebration of life now perhaps.

Psalms Recap:

As we have been going through Psalms, I hope that we have emphasized a few things. The first being that when we read the Psalms, we are experiencing and interacting with art, poetry, prayers, and music. The main idea of the psalm is being described through metaphor, repetition, and other literary and poetic devices. To read the psalms literally is to miss the genre they are in.

The psalms are declaring truths about who God is and who you are. Music unlocks the memories of those truths and fuels emotion as we connect with them with our mind and with our heart.

When we read about the Psalmist rejoicing or feeling forgotten, we should link our emotions to when we have felt like rejoicing. That is the point of using an art form like poetry and music. By combining the thought with the feeling, it sticks with you. It changes you.

However, I find that we miss out on this change because we skip things we don’t resonate with. Our personality types begin to take the wheel and we suddenly find ourselves skipping aspects of the Psalms much as some skip aspects of scripture. Do we enjoy the narrative but get bored quickly with poetry and apocolyptic literature? Do we feel that narrative is like a kids story and we need to get into the meat and potatoes of prose like the letters of Paul, Peter and James?

2 Timothy 3:16–17 NIV

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Since that is true we should interact with scripture under the knowledge that every word is bringing glory to God and good to humanity.

Today I want to focus on the wide range of the psalms. Depending on who you ask, there are between 4 and 10 types of Psalms. These cover a wide range of emotions, situations, and intentions on behalf of the Psalmist. I believe it was intentional for the Psalms to not be one type as that is not how life is reflected in reality. We have different moments.

When you go through a day, is every moment exhilarating and a mountain top experience? Is everything always happy?

It reminds me of a character in a sitcom who found everything amazing. While it can be good to have an attitude of wonder, he talked about one thing he was watching out his window this way. He said “these beacons of safety…they are so magical, they emit a red glow like the inner light of a thousand faireys”….

His friend who doesn’t get his near dangerous level of optimism responds…dude they were just break lights.

While that is funny, we can find ourselves only staying in one type of response much like that sitcom character. We stay in our favorite type. Perhaps it is happy type of Psalms.

or perhaps the opposite is true, I have met folks…of course no one in this room no no…

But I have met folks who I believe make it their mission to not see anything positive at all. I believe they actually feel more at ease when observing fault. Friends, Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh is not someone to try and emulate in life.

We should be on guard agains thinking of any moments, especially those on the extremes of happy or sad, as permaent. I heard it said …if things are bad, just wait. If things are good…just wait.

However some folks run the risk of thinking of moments and seasons as destinations. They build homes in that place. They put their feet up and decree that this is where they are now.

The psalms are so wide because our lives are made of so many different moments. Moments of Joy, out of control happiness. Moments of determination as we look to apply the wisdom for a lifestyle God desires. Moments of panic and grief as tragedy strikes. Moments of faithfulness to just keep going.

Big Idea:

There is a psalm for each of those moments. All of the types of psalms are needed as we live out a life of godliness. Each type shows us glimpses of God, Christ and the Holy Spirit as we engage with His word. Don’t skip them but engage with them as you praise God in everything, no matter what moment you may face.

Type 1: the “Feel Good” psalm

Our first type of Psalm is one we don’t want to miss, we don’t want to classify it as shallow or unrealistic. This isn’t a spin. We live in a sarcastic snarky time. It is when things are good. This is when you are on the mountain top. You actually whoop and holler because things are good.

The “Feel Good” psalm. Turn with me to Psalm 100.

If you need a cultural anchor point for this type, I want you to think of the song “Shout by the ISLEY Brothers - (SING) You know it makes me wanna “shout”, put my hands up and “shout”. kick my heals up and shout. It is that feeling. Praising God with a soulful shout because things are good.

Right off in Psalm 100, we see a call to murmur delicately….no…we are to shout. In this context, not about what we don’t like…No! We are to shout for joy. Shout and worship God with gladness. The word there for gladness implies cheerful outbursts and pleasure. This isn’t you making the best of something..you actually feel great. This isn’t measured, this is overflowing joy where your face, your words and voice, and body all point to being full of joy.

God

Psalm 100 reminds us that God, the great provider, Jehova Jireh, has provided. Many of us have prayed for God to do something. And then, in His way and in His time, he makes things new. He changes things. He makes a way when there is no way.

And we forget to shout for joy. We forget to remind ourselves in reading a type like Psalm 100 that we are His, the sheep of His pasture. That the Lord is good and that His love endures through generations. Read Psalm 100 when things are good to be reminded as we are in James 1:17

James 1:17 NIV

17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Sin is waiting on the wings to pounce as your pride rears up to take credit for the gifts. For the things that God has done. Take a moment to remember that every good and perfect gift comes from the Father.

Christ

In addition, the feel good psalm points us to Christ in that we are His because of what Christ has done. We are under the new covenant of Christ. We are His sheep and He is our shepherd.

John 10:11 NIV

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

The feel good psalm reminds us to turn up our grateful praise a few extra notches because Christ brought the most true blessing that cannot change….as we are reminded in Romans 6:23 that, while the wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life in Christ.

Holy Spirit

One of roles or functions of the Holy Spirit is contantly redirecting our attention away from our selves and back to Christ. Back to the Father. I find it helpful to ask questions for the Holy Spirit to help reveal where I am at?

Where is the good in my life? What can I be grateful for?

Sometimes we don’t engage with the feel good psalm because we don’t recognize what we should feel good. But friends there is so much to be thankful for. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal in your mind all the gifts God has given. What can you be grateful for?

The definition of gratitude is the quality of being thankful, a readiness like a boxer on his toes…ready to show appreciation for something.

God loves you, cares for you. Jesus died for you. Jesus is the only one who we can rely on who won’t fail. Health, family, friends, our own willpower….they all fail but JESUS DOESN”T. We can be grateful for that.

May we never grow weary of the “feel good” psalm like Psalm 100 as we show grateful praise to our heavenly father as his love endures through all generations.

Type 2: the “Get to it” Psalm

So we have the feel good psalm as our first type. The second type is one that gets your adrenaline pumping. It is the psalm that reminds you to get to it. Get to it. Your burning daylight. Don’t waste time following after anything but the way of the Lord, get to it.

Turn with me to Psalm 37

If you need a cultural connection to this, think of “eye of the tiger” (Bum…bum bum bum…bum bum bum…bum bum bumm…..)….get to it… do the next right thing God asks. Another one is“danger zone” cause if you don’t get to it, there is a danger zone coming your way.

Right off, the Psalmist David is poetically reminding that there is stuff to be done. key performance indicators, signs that point to the good life. These psalms remind you and me….get to it.

Psalm 37:1 reminds us to not worry about those who do wrong or be envious of them…they wither away. It doesn’t last. I firmly believe that we fear and worry over things and people not of God…and we forget that they eventually wither away. Like produces like. If you are dishonest, if you don’t have integrity, that comes back to you eventually. It is not the good life, I should not be envious.

Instead, what are we to do? We are to take delight in the Lord, in His ways. Enjoy safe pasture as it says in Psalm 37:3 Get to it. The good life, regardless of circumstance, that God promises when we are in his presence.

In verse 8, it talks about refrain from wrath….do not fret. This isn’t just a ringing of the hands. In Hebrew, the word for fret there…kindled with anger….a burning sensation in the throat….anger resulting from the previous verse. Envy mixed with rage.

When you have envy of those who are doing wrong and are prospering…..don’t get angry, don’t get that rage….why…because of the wisdom of the Lord…verse 13 he laughs at the wicked. He laughs. He knows there schemes lead to their undoing.

You want to delight in the Lord, be on the narrow path or you just might find yourself on the big luxurous path to the dangerzone.

But I think of the song step by step…”oh God you are my God and I will ever praise you….and I will seek you in the morning. And I will learn to walk in your ways. And step by step….you lead me. And I will follow you all of my days. Get to it.

God

Now as humans, we vary between the extremes of putting everything on us and taking no responsibility whatsoever. But the get to it type of Psalm is a reminder that God does things through us. Our lives change as we delight in His way. Psalm 119 says for us to cry to out to God, to teach us His statues, and then we are to seek Him and obey. Augustine says that without God, we cannot. Without us, God will not.

God works through those who are willing to follow Him. But we have to get to it.

Christ

As followers of Christ, we should be reminded of Col 3:1-3 as we see this response to get to it.

Col 3:1-3

Colossians 3:1–3 NIV

1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

Christ died obediently for you and for me. This was the rescue plan for humanity, Jesus Christ came. He died, He rose again paying the price for you and for me. Jesus got to it, he fulfilled the law and lived a life of wisdom. May we respond by emulating Christ. Let’s get to it.

Holy Spirit:

As you encounter the get to it type of Psalm, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal where you are delighting in the way of the Lord? Where are you actively responding to Christ? Where are you neglecting His way? Why?

As we get to it, as we delight in the way of the Lord, we see how God responds. As Psalm 37 says in verse 6 and 7, we are patiently trust in the Lord and he will do this: He will make our righteousness shine like the sun. But we have to get to it.

Type 3: The “What is going on?” Psalm

We are to not skip the Feel Good Psalms, the Get to it Psalms. But that is not the only moments we face in life. Wouldn’t it be great if that was it.

Nope, I would say all of us have faced moments of tragedy, confusion, loss, sadness, and anger. This calls for our third type of psalm…I call it the “What is going on?” type of Psalm. It is when your world books a long trip on the Crazy Train. (SING) going off the rails on this crazy train!.

As I stated earlier, I believe for many of us, we don’t like to be in this moment because we don’t want to deal and process lament. grief. A feeling of injustice. These emotions and thoughts are often big and out of control. And we hesitate to deal with them.

Turn with me to Psalm 13

Years ago, in a staff meeting, we tackled some hard things. Pastor Michael asked us to go around the table and express lament. One by One each one of us smart, capable, good listeners proceeded to ignore the assignment and instead gloss over our own lament by looking on the bright side. That is always tempting but thankfully Pastor Michael waited patiently and then when we were all through…he asked us to go around again. We realized that we hadn’t done it.

We need to express our feelings to the Lord. We shouldn’t be leaving him out but inviting Him in. He already knows how we feel. He is waiting to be invited in to the process.

In Psalm 13, Right off, we see David jumping right in with both feet. How long Lord? How long will you forget me forever? Do you think David thought this in a calm manner? There was anger. There was that burning sensation in the back of the throat.

David asks…How long? Will I have sorrow in my heart? How long will I wrestle with my own thoughts?

Some of us, more than we want to admit, are living delusions. We put on our masks. We smile. People ask how we are doing…and we say oh just fine. fine. Fine.

Meanwhile, there is the musical equivalent of heavy metal playing in our heads and hearts. God is not saying, stop the music. He is saying invite me in. Express it to me.

I have prayed to God, istening to heavy instrumental music and asking the Lord direct questions. I am expressing my hurt, my pain,

where were you? I sing about you, your greatness…but where were you? I try and care for others. Where was the care for me and mine? Where were you? Why didn’t you intervene? Often, I come to the place where God is god and I am not. In that, there is peace.

But even more so…There is more destruction in leaving those questions unasked then if we ask them of the Lord. God is strong enough to take our pain, our anger, our disappointment, our grief that we give over to Him. What I know for sure is that I am not strong enough to hold that pain, anger, and sadness and neither are you.

In light of that, don’t neglect community and counseling in this either. God works through others in our lives all the time. Find a community group who can offer perspective and prayer. Find a counselor who can help provide tools for processing these emotions and moments.

GOD

We are reminded in the “what is going on” psalm to invite the Lord into lament. When we do, we have perspective to see his unfailing love. We realize that the Lord has been good to us…Gratitude becomes more deep and clear as we process our grief. We see how God is powerful and full of love.

The reason that a “what in the world” psalm is so important is found there in 2 Cor 1:3-4 God is the father of compassion and comfort who provides that comfort in all our troubles.

However when we ignore our trouble, pretend it doesn’t exist, gloss over it. How does God show up and comfort? We then don’t have the ability to comfort those in any trouble because we have not been comforted. Invite God in, let Him draw near your broken heart and watch Him comfort you. Then offer that comfort to others.

Christ

No where is the unfailing love made more evident than in Christ. He endured the cross. He did this out of love, a love that never fails and never gives up.

Satan longs for you to feel alone in our grief, in your anger, in your confusion. You are the only one this has ever happened to. And yet we know that Christ suffered sorrow.

Jesus took all of our pain and sorrow, sin and brokenness on himself, through the cross. More than that, Jesus experienced a full range of suffering. He was betrayed by Judas. He was falsly accused by the priests and left by those he counted as friends. He was mocked and reviled.

And yet, He did this willingly so that you and I may have life. 1 Peter 2:24

1 Peter 2:24 NIV

24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

We live like Christ, we invite the father into our sorrow just as He did in the garden..and we wait for the Lord to do something.

Holy Spirit

Ask the Holy Spirit….What do I grieve? What loss do I need to process? This isn’t a “this generation” and their feelings….this is the work of Spirit to take the things we are going through like loss, sadness, and anger and invite the Lord into them. Ask the Lord hard questions. Be ready for even harder answers. Invite the Lord in, even when you are screaming “what is going on”

TYPE 4: The “Hang On….and Praise” Psalm

Just around the bend, we come to our last type of Psalm…as we remember to never give up…to Hang on….and Praise. Life is going to present all kinds of different moments…some good. Some bad. Or a mixture. But no matter our circumstance, we are to hang on…and praise. Turn with me to Psalm 23.

The “hang on and praise” type of Psalm is the bridge over troubled water. No matter what you see on the horizon or beneath you….no matter what storms come your way or if you are shining bright or feeling small….God is a bridge over troubled water…hang on and praise the Lord.

Psalm 23…“The Lord is our shepherd.” In that statement, we see enormous amounts of emotional connection. A shepherd who protects the sheep, he provides care to all of their needs. Not just when they are in mortal danger. He cares for all their needs. emotional and physical needs.

“We lack nothing.” This is hard for humanity to wrap our heads around because our entire lives, our nature and the world around us tells us we need one more thing. I feel it too. One more guitar. One more pedal. A pair of shoes. A backpack. How quickly they go from wants to needs.

The Line lacking nothing is connecting God’s people in the wandering of the desert. Deut 2:7 reminds us that God watched over Israel and their journey….those 40 years, he was with them…they did not lack anything

We hang on…and praise because, just like Israel in the wilderness, we have a testimony to tell. We have not lacked when we open our eyes to the many blessings. We have miracles on miracles. Friends, don’t even try to count em…you can’t count that high!

Our response in the wide range of moments in life is praise. Just as Psalm 23 recounts…whether on the straight paths God has kept us on…or the valley of the shadow of death….we don’t fear because God is near..and our response is praise.

The song in the Kids Camp Video. There is a line in there says “As long as I am breathin…I’ve got a reason to praise the Lord, oh my soul”. This type of psalm…hang on and praise points us to that reality.

GOD

In sickness and in health, for rich or for poor, on the peaks of mountains or the valleys of misery….God is good and his love endures forever. This is true whether we get the thing we are praying about. This is true no matter what candidate wins in November. This is true no matter what diagnosis the doctor gives. As long as we are breathin, we have a reason to praise the Lord as psalm 150 reminds us…let everything that has breath praise the Lord. For His mighty acts that come when we need miracles. Praise Him for his greatness that surpasses any problem you have. Praise Him.

Christ:

In the hang on and praise Psalm, we find Christ who gives us the courage, the power, the reason to press on. We strain toward what is ahead as it says in Phil 3:13-14. We forget what is behind but press on toward the goal, the prize. The presence both now and for eterinity of Jesus Christ. This is what fuels us to hang on and praise. We praise God that He rescued you and rescued me…that he offers life, the true good life, to those who put their hope and trust in Him. We have reason to praise.

Holy Spirit

We turn to the Holy Spirit and ask….”Where do I need to hang on?”

I know and more importantly God knows that you have struggles. That you have been praying for something for a long time. That you have cried and been angry. This type of Psalm reminds you that after the dark valley, we are to still hang on. In His faithfulness, our cup overflows. In our weakness, He restores our soul and shows His strength.

CLOSING

Like most things in life, it is not in the easy that we find growth but in the difficult. These types of Psalms are a good reminder. A reminder that God is good even when life is twisted. We see that in the story of a famous Hymn.

In 1873, lawyer Horatio Spafford suffered a series of tragedies. He first lost his four-year-old son to illness, then saw his investments destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire. Planning to join his family in England for an evangelistic mission, Spafford sent them ahead while he stayed behind. Tragically, their ship collided with another, resulting in the deaths of his four daughters. His wife, Anna, survived and sent him a telegram reading “Saved alone.”

As Spafford sailed to join her, he wrote the hymn’s lyrics while passing near the site of his daughters' deaths.

“When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll Whatever my lot, thou has tuaght me to say “It is well, it is well with my soul”.

Can you imagine the tears? Can you put your emotions in his place as he passed by the spot where they died?

verse 2 of the song goes on to explain how even though Satan is attacking again and again and again…yet Christ has regarded his helpless estate and shed his own blood for my soul”

Christ has regarded our helpless estate…we are helpless. But Christ died for us, for our souls….and in that we find praise.

Verse 3 reminds us that our sin, all of it, is nailed to the cross and we bear it no more…praise the Lord, oh my soul.

verse 4 gives us reason to praise because the trump shall resound and the Lord descend, and even so praise the Lord.

A good song for a good moment as we hang on and praise.

Don’t skip any types of Psalm but in them, resonate with God, Christ through the Holy Spirit.

On the mountain top in which God’s accomplishments are made most clear…may we resonate with the “Feel Good” psalm with a shout of joy.

When we need “get to it” and press on to the prize of Christ, seeking out the way of the Lord, letting him lead us away from danger, and do the next right thing…

When tragedy strikes, when sorrows like sea billows roll, we invite the Lord into our pain, our anger, even when we are yelling what is going on,

And when we sink into faithful gratitude no matter the circumstance….when we look at what the Lord has done, is doing and will do……we have reason to praise.

No matter what moment we find ourselves in, don’t skip the psalm but lean in and praise the Lord for He is good, his love endures forever.

Let us Pray

Benediction:

"The Lord is our shepherd; we want for nothing. We hunger and thirst no more. The Lord gives rest and comfort to our souls. God keeps us in perfect peace. The Lord sustains us in the midst of trouble. Our lives overflow with God's love and grace. Goodness and mercy will surely follow us always. And we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!" Amen. Have a great rest of the day.