WEEK 27 |
psalms this week |
"We must not be too high-minded. I fancy we may sometimes be deterred from small prayers by a sense of our own dignity rather than of God's." |
Psalms 79, 80, and 81
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introduction to the Series
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Most of what we learn how to do, we learn from other people. Sometimes it is the learning that comes from specific and deliberate instruction. At other times it is the learning that comes by way of example and imitation. During 2023, our endeavor is to learn how to pray from the Psalmist.*
The Book of Psalms is the longest book in the Bible, and it is mostly a book of prayers. We will spend the year going through the book, beginning to end, and letting the Psalmist teach us by example how to pray. |
In this endeavor, we cannot benefit from his deliberate instruction, of course. What we can do, however, is take full advantage of his example. We will observe how he prays, and we will learn to imitate him.
Our approach will be week by week. The recommended practices and exercises are not daily, but rather suggestions for an individual to implement throughout the whole week. |
Exercises for this week
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Psalm 79
Read Psalm 79. This Psalm was evidently written in the wake of a military catastrophe that is likely difficult for most of us to imagine. Yet imagining is precisely what we shall endeavor to do in order to climb into the feeling and meaning of this Psalm. To that end, rewrite verses 1-4 in a way that makes it personal. Insert the names of places and people that you know, not because this sort of calamity has happened to them, but as a way of helping you to imagine and thus understand what it was that the Psalmist was experiencing.
As you contemplate the experience of the author of Psalm 79, consider the relationship between a faith crisis and any other type of crisis. That is to say, an individual may experience a health crisis, a community may experience a crisis resulting from a natural disaster, or a nation may experience a military crisis: and for people of faith, any one of these might also become a faith crisis -- might lead people to question God's will, His love, His goodness, His power, His answers to prayer, etc.
After describing what has happened to himself and his people (verses 1-4), the Psalmist makes his petitions to God. Make a list of the various things that the Psalmist prays that the Lord would do. Review the list of things for which the Psalmist prays.
Jesus taught His followers to pray for God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Review the list of things for which the author of Psalm 79 prays.
Reflect on the relationship of verse 13 to the rest of the Psalm. What all is the Psalmist affirming? The situation of the Psalmist in Psalm 79 is far from ideal; indeed, it is far from good. But faith can still be good in the midst of a situation that is not. Prayer can still be ideal in the midst of a situation that is not. What is exemplary about the prayer recorded in Psalm 79? |
Psalm 80
Read Psalm 80 This Psalm is more complex than many in terms of its variety of subject matters and tones. We want to begin, therefore, by thinking through the different elements that make up this Psalm. To that end, as you read the Psalm:
Verses 3, 7, and 19 act as a kind of recurring refrain for Psalm 80. Read that refrain in a variety of translations in order to get a full sense of what it is that the Psalmist is saying. Read Matthew 6:7-8. What do you understand to be the difference between what Jesus is saying not to do and what the Psalmist does by repeating himself in verses 3, 7, and 19? What is the importance of repeating one's prayer as the Psalmist does three times in Psalm 80? What is the value in it? What is exemplary about it? What is exemplary about the specific content of the Psalmist's recurring prayer? The references to Joseph, Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh in verses 1 and 2 may seem remote to us. They are references, of course, to tribes of Israel, and therefore represent both people and places. In order to bring those verses closer to home, find substitute options: what might be appropriate parallels to those people/place names for you in your context? Once you have identified your parallels, pray verses 1 and 2 aloud, inserting your substitutes. Then talk to the Lord about that part of the prayer: the heart and feel and meaning behind it. The entire Psalm is addressed to God, and much of it expresses things about God. On a piece of paper, make three columns, labeling them "Past," "Present," and "Future." Then read through the Psalm, filling in the columns according to these questions:
Talk to the Lord about the Psalmist's recollection of the past. What is valuable about that sort of deliberate remembering? In your own life and experience, what might you include in that section of a prayer? Talk to the Lord about the Psalmist's perception of Him in the Psalmist's present. What do you make of what the Psalmist thinks and says? To what extent was he correct? When have you thought or felt similarly? Have you expressed it to God? Talk to the Lord about the Psalmist's prayer for the future. To what extent does the Psalmist's requests seem to be in line with God's will? Is the Psalmist asking the Lord to do anything that is out of His character or contrary to His will? Is there any overlap between the Psalmist's prayers for the future and your prayers for the future? |
Psalm 81
Read Psalm 81. In contrast to the previous Psalm, which is expressed by the Psalmist entirely addressed to God, Psalm 81 seems to have a human audience, as well as more than one speaker. As you read the Psalm, watch for the natural breaks. And, for each section you detect, identify:
Portions of Psalm 81 appear to be spoken by the Psalmist himself and addressed to a human audience. Focusing just on those verses:
Other portions of Psalm 81 appear to be spoken by God to a human audience. Focusing just on those verses:
Psalm 81 is very much about the relationship between the Lord and Israel. Read the Psalm in relational terms:
Read Romans 1:18-32. In what ways do you see similarities or overlaps between Psalm 81 and this section of Paul's letter to the Romans? Read Romans 1:24, 26, and 28 in light of Psalm 81:12. Talk to the Lord about these verses.
A significant theme in Psalm 81 is that of the Lord speaking to His people and their not listening. Make a note of the places in the Psalm where this dynamic is at stake. When in the Bible do you see evidence of this dynamic at work? What was the result? To what extent have there been times in your own life when that same dynamic has been at work? What have been the results? We noted at the outset that this Psalm seems to have a human audience. Read through it one more time, this time while asking the Lord, "To what extent am I the audience for this Psalm?" Conclude your meditation on Psalm 81 with an exercise that we have employed before. Imagine that you don't know anything at all about the God of the Bible -- you've never heard of Him -- and the only information you have about Him is Psalm 81. Based on Psalm 81 alone, what do you know about the Lord? Write out your answer, and then talk to Him about it. |
* We will refer to the author as “the Psalmist,” though of course not all of the Psalms were written by the same person. A significant number are attributed to David. Others are associated with Asaph, the sons of Korah, and an assortment of other individuals. Also, several dozen Psalms have no name attached to them. For the sake of ease and uniformity, we will simply refer to “the Psalmist.”