Psalms offer source of inspiration for prayer

[BlaznFattyz]

Worshipers turn to ancient Hebrew verses to discover a powerful tool for intimacy with God.

The Psalms, says theologian Eugene H. Peterson, are God's gift to those who want to learn how to pray.

"If we wish to develop our entire heart, mind, soul and strength, the Psalms are necessary," the author of the bestselling "Message Bible" writes in "Answering God: The Psalms as Tools for Prayer." "We cannot bypass the Psalms."

Christine Hodge, a member of Ojai Valley Community Church in Ventura County, came to that realization last year when she joined 70 other women in a nine-week course on the Psalms.

Praying the Psalms has taught her that she can share everything with God, said Hodge, a freelance writer with young children.

"It showed me that it's OK to tell God anything -- that you are mad, sad, angry," she said. "Before I studied the Psalms, I'd tell God everything except I was mad at him."

She now finds her relationship with the divine more intimate and complete. "I think God wants us to be honest with him," she said... Cont'd

[mee]

The eyes of Jehovah are toward the righteous ones,
And his ears are toward their cry for help.

psalm 34;15

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by mee

The eyes of Jehovah are toward the righteous ones,

And his ears are toward their cry for help.

psalm 34;15

Every man's heart is restless for God, and he calms the soul with his song.

[mee]

Originally Posted by Quahom1

Every man's heart is restless for God, and he calms the soul with his song.

Jehovah is near to those that are broken at heart;
And those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
psalm 34;18

[Thomas]

Much hoo-ha (and much of it valid) has been made about the printing of Bibles in vernacular languages through the centuries.

What is often overlooked is that the Psalms were widely distributed, and the psalter was a much more common method of lay devotion than the reading of Scripture.

Access to bible or no, most people in pre-industrialised societies would have had an understanding of the Christianity — better and more profoundly spiritual than today – by following the liturgical calendar and the Church as the focus of communal life.

The Liturgy of the Hours, and the Divine Office that regulates monastic life, is based on the psalm cycle, and the popular devotions based on the Psalms contributed to the unity of Christianity. The Catholic Rosary, with its 150 ave's, reflects the number of the psalms, was considered as 'the poor man's psalter'.

Thomas