Sometimes There's Nothing Like a Good Psalm

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.

The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
They are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.
By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgressions.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight, O Lord,
my Rock and my Redeemer.
~Psalm 19


When I read a psalm - I mean really read one - I am always struck by (at least) three things. The psalmist's honesty, the psalmist's humility, and the psalmist's unswerving focus on the greatness and glory of the Lord.

The psalmist is so open about his sin...He prays in this psalm for the Lord to forgive him his hidden faults. How often do I assume, when I cannot see my own fault, that it does not exist? Clearly if my wrongdoing is not obvious to my own eye, then I am blameless. How arrogant of me, and what a blatant oversight of the most pervasive of my sins - pride. But here David prays for forgiveness of his hidden faults, and he later expresses the desire for his words and meditations to be pleasing in the Lord's sight. I don't think my words are nearly pleasing enough to the Lord, let alone my thoughts! Oh for the day when sin not only disappears from my actions, but also vanishes from my very mind! How honest David is in confessing that his heart is sinful...how frequently I like to assume that my intentions are pure, that my motives are unblemished. Oh Lord, lay my heart bare..."search me and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139).

The psalmist has great humility. His words are characterized by such an accurate view of both himself and the Lord, which defines true humility. To see oneself as tiny and insignificant, unworthy of the attention, let alone the love of a mighty God. "What is man that you are mindful of him?" (Psalm 8). He maintains a right view of his sin as well: Psalm 69 begins with a cry for help to the Lord to save him from enemies who seek to harm him without cause, and then the very next verse says "You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you" (verse 5). David knows that the Lord sees his inmost heart. Even as David faces seemingly unwarranted persecution and attack, he prays that the Lord will forgive him and that he will not cause other believers to stumble because of his own folly. Oh Lord, when I am feeling self-righteous, help me to remember that I am only a sinner saved by grace; "may those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me" (Psalm 69).

The psalmist is constantly focused on the greatness and glory of the Lord. In Psalm 19 he extols God's law, His precepts, His commands, and declares that they are radiant, giving light, pure, more precious than much pure gold. What beauty he finds in the Word of the Lord! And the language that he uses to describe natural revelation: the heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of His hands; they pour forth speech and are heard in every tongue. Listen also to the words of other psalms as the writer exhorts all of creation to shout to the Lord, to sing a new song, to be thankful for His great blessings and mighty deeds (Psalm 75, 81, 89, 96, 98, etc.). Oh Lord, help me to focus my heart on You, help me to ponder first the magnitude of who You are before I allow my "little kingdom" concerns to overwhelm my thoughts.

Whenever you feel swallowed up in your own "little kingdom", as though the walls are crashing down around you, or just as though you don't matter...read a psalm. Be reminded of God's greatness and, yes, your own smallness. Be reminded of how little you ought to matter, and of how high and how wide are His love for you. Be reminded of His justice and wrath, and of the mercy and grace He shows when He rescues us. Be reminded of all these things, and be refreshed, restored...hope in Him and renew your strength (Isaiah 40:31).


By the way, the word psalm becomes weirder and weirder the more you look at it.