Life is a mess.
We are troubled, because of sickness, suffering, & sin. But we also live in a troubled world. A world mired in a mess of trouble—slander & gossip, injustice & oppression, white-washed religion & dead-end rebellion.
Life in this troubled world is a tangled mess of bad news, disappointment, job loss, poverty, miscarriages, mean people, restless hearts, & so much more.
Jesus was right, in the world, you will have trouble.
Thankfully, the Bible never acts surprised by trouble. Nor should we. In fact, the Bible teaches us how to think, feel, walk, sing, & even pray when trouble strikes.
This summer, we are going to walk slowly the first 10 psalms & learn some wonderful prayers to pray in the mess of life.
SCHEDULE (FOR THE PLANNERS!)
Psalm 1—June 28
Psalm 2—July 5
Psalm 3—July 12
Psalm 4—July 26
Psalm 5—August 3
Psalm 6—August 10
Psalm 7—August 17
Psalm 8—August 24
Psalm 9–10—September 13
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
The Way of the Righteous in the Muck of Life
This is a wonderful, short book by OT scholar Dale Ralph Davis covers the first 12 psalms. It would be my go-to book for this series. You can purchase it here.
Psalms Commentary
Commentaries unpack the Bible verse-by-verse. This commentary on the Psalms by Derek Kidner is a classic. It is short, punchy, & insightful.
If you don’t own it, you should buy it now!
Psalms for You
This series of books is designed to help you apply different books of the Bible.
This specific book on the Psalms is by Christopher Ash & it is quite helpful.
Sing the Psalms with Shane & Shane
The book of Psalms was originally a book of songs the people of God sang. Though we do not have the melodies, we can sing them too.
There are no more accessible, contemporary arrangements than those by Shane & Shane.
Head over to Apple Music or Spotify & listen to:
Psalms, Vol. I
Psalms, Vol. II
Psalms Live