Our Favorite Psalms

The moods of the Psalms range from exuberant praise to sober confession, from peaceful thanksgiving to restless lament.  No matter what you’re facing, no matter what’s going on in your heart and home and family, these passages speak to our need.  So make sure you’re spending time in the Psalms regularly.

If I asked you which of the Psalms is your favorite, I wonder what you’d say.  I’m guessing these chapters would be high on the list:

• Psalm 23—probably number one overall.  And understandably so, reminding us of God’s caring and attentive leadership as our Shepherd, and reassuring us of his provision of all that we need—so we can say, “I shall not want.”
• Psalm 46.  Martin Luther wrote the lyrics of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” based Ps. 46:  “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (v 1).  And so, “Be still and know that I am God” (v 10).
• Psalm 103—especially about God’s forgiveness:  he casts our sins away from us “as far as the east is from the west” (v 12).
• Psalm 139.  God uniquely knitted of each of us together in the womb—we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (vv 13-16).

Let me to shift gears and recommend a few of the Psalms which may be less well known but have been deeply helpful to my soul:

• Psalm 18.  I love all the many word-pictures for God in v 2:  “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
• Psalm 50.  “The cattle on a thousand hills” belong to God (v 10).  “The world and all that is in it is mine” (v 12).
• Psalm 62.  For those long seasons of waiting and wondering.
• Psalm 99.  Sheer awe at God’s majesty, holiness, and justice.
• Psalm 113.  Praising both God’s greatness and his goodness.
• Psalm 130.  A cry of confession and assurance of hope.
• Psalm 148.  A tour of God’s creation, summoning everyone and everything to give praise to their Creator.

Well, those are a few of the 150 songs the Lord has given us—we’ve dipped our toes in the water.  So now, get your Bible, block out some time, and dive into the deep, pure wonder of God’s Word.  And be refreshed!