Praying Through The Psalms
Dear Faith Family,
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you, (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you, (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
He served for twenty-nine years as the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Augusta, Georgia. I, on the other hand, was a relatively young pastor moving from South Carolinato Brewton, Alabama. When transferring to another presbytery (within the Presbyterian Church in America), a pastor is required to be examined and approved by the receiving presbytery.
To my surprise when I met with the examinations committee of the Southeast Alabama Presbytery, there was the John Oliver! He was also meeting with the examinationscommittee. That was when I discovered he was leaving Georgia and was accepting a call to a church in Montgomery, Alabama.
From there, provided that a man passes his exam before the examinations committee, a candidate is examined before the whole presbytery. I had the privilege of being examined together with John Oliver. Why was that a privilege you might ask? Well, when John Oliver answered a question (people listened!) before presbytery with poise and wisdom, my answer was something along the lines of “what he said!”
So, what’s the point? Lloyd John Ogilvie said it well in his book, Falling into Greatness. He said, “The Psalms help us to learn how to pray honestly. Athanasius said, ‘Most Scripture speaks to us, while the Psalms speak for us.’” The Psalms, 2,461 verses, no less than seven different authors, and a variety of types, give words to our prayers. All the victories, all the failures, all the struggles coupled with all the emotions are expressed by the words of the Psalms. Those words give voice to our prayers.
On Sunday, August 2nd, we at Faith Church will begin to read through the book of Psalms, one chapter a day. With the reading of each chapter would you consider offering back the Psalm as a prayer to our God? Will you allow the Psalms to give voice to your prayers?
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