Psalm 1 - Healing For Our Broken Lives

Today we begin a new series of study in the Bible for our daily Pastor Chat. I felt impressed by the Holy Spirit to at least start with looking at the Book of Psalms. I believe this is on my heart, because as I look at the world around me, it is obvious that it is filled with broken people who are hurting and desperately looking for help and answers to their problems. Our lives are broken. So many of us feel used and have been abused sexually, physically, mentally, or emotionally. So many of us feel rejected and unloved! As a result, we have a society of needy people who are very damaged, discouraged and many are in a state of depression. As a result of our broken lives, we have broken relationships and our families are broken. Our churches are broken, our workplace is broken, our communities are broken, and our nation is broken. So where can we find the answers for healing, restoration, reconciliation, and experience a sense of well-being again both personally and in our families? I firmly believe that the answer to all this brokenness in found in the Bible where we met a person, the Lord Jesus Christ. And I also believe, if there is one book in the Bible that can help me apply the love and forgiveness that I desperately need to my life, to my heart and to my emotions, it is the Book of Psalms. As I said in the video chat today, I have read the Book of Psalms more than any other book in the Bible over my last 50 years as a follower of Jesus Christ, with the exception of the Book of Proverbs. I have read these two books entirely every month for these past 50 years. The Psalms is the longest book in the Bible with 150 chapters. My practice every day is to read 5 chapters and in 30 days I read the complete book. I have found that this discipline of reading and meditating of these Psalms daily has been a tremendous source of strength, encouragement, comfort, guidance, and healing both emotionally and spiritually in my life! I can’t begin to tell you of all the people who come to me in great despair, discouragement of even depression over these 47 years as a pastor. If there was one thing that I saw help them and lift them out of their pain, hurt and brokenness, it was my encouragement to them to start reading specific Psalms. Sometimes within hours, if not days, they would get back to me and tell me how they were already feeling better and beginning to rebuilt their hope and emotional well-being. The Psalms are both a praise book and a prayer book! When I read and personalize a passage from Psalms it takes me into the presence of a Holy God and gives me the opportunity to share and unload my feelings and burden on Him. I find God is always ready to listen I as I make these prayers in Psalms my cry for help to Him. We are going to start with Psalm 1 which was either written by David or Ezra as a preface to the collection of very personal songs, poems and hymns that were adapted by the Jews for their corporate worship as well as for their personal devotions. In this collection of Psalms, you find prayers from sufferers, hymns of praise, confessions of sin, confessions of faith, nature hymns, and songs that teach Jewish history, and in each one the focal point for faith is the Lord. Whether the writer is looking back at history, looking up into the heavens, or looking around at his problems, he first of all looks by faith to the Lord. The psalms teach us to have a personal relationship with God as we tell Him our hurts and our needs and as we meditate on His greatness and glory. I trust you will join me on this journey through this wonderful book and you will experience what I have over these past 50 years! God bless!