Psalms in the summer. All of the Psalms in one summer? One hundred fifty chapters of Scripture in a row for back to back days all summer? I can almost feel the winces of pain that those three sentences caused you. I’m just kidding, I’m kiddingggg. I know we all read our Bibles faithfully 3 hours a day every day and sometimes even twice a day if we’re feeling extra spiritual. Also kidding… But seriously you might ask why should I read Psalms and to that I respond: why not join us in reading through the Psalms? What a great cop out right?
If you have no idea what I am talking about, allow me to fill you in. During Pastor Jack’s sabbatical there will be a MULTITUDE OF HEAVENLY HOSTS… (excuse me I can never say the word “multitude” without thinking of that phrase in scripture and saying it in my head with the best Morgan Freeman impression I’ve got)... During Jack's sabbatical there will be a multitude of guys filling the pulpit. Because of this, we wanted there to be some semblance of uniformity so we decided on everyone preaching from the Psalms. To add to the significance of this series we thought it might be an awesome opportunity for us as a church to read through the Psalms in our daily devotions and quiet times. Now that you’ve been filled in, here is a link to the actual plan that we can all read through together in the YouVersion bible app https://www.bible.com/en/reading-plans/32323. And if you are not into apps or you’re not super “techy” you can email the office at office@gccnewton.com and we will gladly give you a list of Psalms to read each day or you can pick up a printed copy at the connection desk.
But still why. “Why would I read through all the Psalms?” I could never make you read them but the few words that I might try to persuade you with are these: Praise, faith, despair, lament, anger, thankfulness, hope and Messiah. The gamut of emotions, feelings, and heart postures you can experience are wrapped up with the last 5 chapters that give praise to our Creator. The Psalms might just be the realest reflection of the human experience in a broken world that was ACTUALLY designed to display God’s perfection. Or to quote Pastor Kyle “No matter your season of life, there is a Psalm for you.” The Psalms are fascinating depictions of broken people experiencing life as real as it gets in the highest of highs and lowest of lows. They, the Psalms, are so relatable and so easily applicable to our lives on a daily basis. There is great value in reading the Psalms straight through.
So let’s do it. Let’s read the Psalms together. Then let’s talk about it, pray about it. Let’s let this season be marked by our faithfulness to spend time with God and read His word.
Love you Grace. Peace and Blessings,
Bryant Hart