The Songs of Jesus

I started praying through the psalms daily a few months ago and it has been an incredible method of connecting with God.

Every morning, I take the day of the month and use it to assign me a psalm by an increment of 30.

For July 26, I will pray through either Psalm 26, 56, 86, 116, or 146.  I just walk straight through so I am on the cycle at 56.

My wife and I have also begun to use Timothy and Kathy Keller’s book, The Songs of Jesus as a prayer guide.  They have divided the 150 psalms into 365 portions to cover the entire psaltery.  Each day, there is either a complete or portion of a psalm to read, reflect, and then to pray through.

We are daily going through this prayer guide, and it has been such a great tool to quiet our hearts before the Lord after we put the kids down to bed.

Favorite Quotes (From the Introduction)

  1. We are not simply to read psalms; we are to be immersed in them so that they profoundly shape how we relate to God (vii).
  2. Psalms anticipate and train you for every possible spiritual, social, and emotional condition – they show you what the dangers are, what you should keep in mind, what you attitude should be, how to talk to God about it, and how to get from God the help you need (viii).
  3. The psalms also help us see God – God not as we wish or hope him to be but as he actually reveals himself (ix).

After reading through the daily psalm, here are the directions (xi):

  1. Adore – What did you learn about God for which you could praise or thank him?
  2. Admit – What did you learn about yourself for which you could repent?
  3. Aspire – What did you learn about life that you could aspire to, ask for, and act on?

Overview

The Book of Psalms is known as the Bible’s songbook—Jesus knew all 150 psalms intimately, and relied on them to face every situation, including his death.

Two decades ago, Tim Keller began reading the entire Book of Psalms every month. The Songs of Jesus is based on his accumulated years of study, insight, and inspiration recorded in his prayer journals. Kathy Keller came to reading the psalms as a support during an extended illness. Together they have distilled the meaning of each verse, inviting readers into the vast wisdom of the psalms.

If you have no devotional life yet, this book is a wonderful way to start. If you already spend time in study and prayer, understanding every verse of the psalms will bring you a new level of intimacy with God, unlocking your purpose within God’s kingdom.