The Psalms were the prayerbook of Jesus. He quoted three of them on the cross alone, (Psalm 22, 31 and 69) which tells us that when we are at the extremities we need the Psalms to help us pray. The Apostle Paul tells us to ‘speak to one another with Psalms’ (Ephesians 5.19) – so they should be a regular part of our corporate prayer life as a church. Both to learn from Jesus’ example and obey Paul’s commands, most summers we spend time reflecting on a few Psalms.
This summer we will be reflecting on six of the Psalms of Korah. Christopher Ash, in his magnificent and masterful Christ-Centred-Commentary on the Psalms, gives us some context:
Psalms 42, 44-49, 84, 85, 87, and 88 are headed ‘of the Sons of Korah’. Korah was a descendant of Kohath, and hence of Levi (Num. 16:1; 1 Chron. 6:16, 22). Although he perished in disgrace for his rebellion (Num. 16), his family continued. They are mentioned in a number of places, both in the days of David and later in Israel’s history, alongside names such as Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, in connection with temple worship. Either they wrote these Psalms, by inspiration of the Spirit of God, or they performed them when David had written them…. Psalm 84 has many parallels to Psalms 42-43 in its longing for the worship of the tabernacle or temple.
It seems that the Sons of Korah, maybe because of their tragic family history, or maybe because many of them experienced the pains of exile, knew how to pray to God when they were in the hard places and God felt distant. They help us to both pray in tough times, and pray for others in tough times – and to consider how Jesus prayed these prayers when he was going through the trials of his earthly life, suffering and death.
Here is our preaching series this summer:
- 26th July – Praying when spiritually depressed (Psalms 42 and 43)
- 2nd August – Praying when suffering is unjust (Psalm 44)
- 9th August – Praying when the world is shaky (Psalm 46)
- 16th August – Praying on the pilgrimage (Psalm 84)
- 23rd August – Praying for revival (Psalm 85)
- 30th August – Praying in the darkest place (Psalm 88)
Further resources
- Psalms of Lament – Being Honest with God
- Summer in the Psalms
- Songs for the road
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer – encountering Christ in the Psalms
- Why meditate on the Psalms? – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 & Part 5
- Daily Devotionals – My Rock, My Refuge by Tim and Kathy Keller
Do join us at 10.30am in Oatlands Primary School (Stillorgan) or Lindsey Road National School (Glasnevin), or 4.30pm in Synge Street School (Portabello) each Sunday to learn together in the book of Psalms.