“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105) Today, we frequently see quotes from the Psalms written on book covers, car tags, or bumper stickers. All of that is fine, but the message is much deeper than that. David, Asaph, and others wrote the Psalms in the midst of tears and terror. The words were penned during times of fear, loneliness, doubt, and pain.
While some of the Psalms came out of moments of victory and praise, most were written in the white-hot furnace of affliction as the authors sought to understand God's dealings with mankind. David and others poured out their hearts in honest contemplation and prayer, seeking the understanding that only God could give. They were not attempting to wax eloquent or impress the readers. Instead, they lifted the innermost parts of their soul to the only one who could help them. They sought an audience with God.
Today, we face a danger when we read the Psalms. That danger is the temptation to remove the words from the dusty caves and lonely rooms of a broken heart. We bring them to our kitchen table, where we have little need, and apply their blood-soaked words to our comfortable lives. With our microwave-warmed croissants and instant coffee, we read these tear-torn pages of pain under the soft light of our life. We fail to dive into the troubled waters of which they speak.
We must be careful not to knock the rough edges from the Psalms. Let them speak to the cry of our heart and let us refuse to 'sanitize' their words. They are dirty, sorrowful, and challenging…but they are honest! They reveal the path that our hearts travel when we find ourselves feeling abandoned by God and wondering why. They explain the anger and fear that we face when family or friends turn against us, or our enemies seem to prevail. In David, we discover a friend who understands our struggles and gives words to explain the anguish of our soul. He knows the voice of the caves of life.
Yes, there are plenty of rough edges in the Psalms. We must be careful not to smooth them off with our polished form of 'church-ianity.' Take them all...the highs and the lows; the pain and the joy; the tears and the terror. They offer God's psychology book into the truthful workings of genuine faith. They are not for the religiously polished; they do not fit into their comfortable lives. They are for men and women like David who are seeking God with their whole heart. They are for you—they are for me.
When we find our heart in a struggle of faith, let’s grab our Bible and turn to the Psalms. On bended knees and with broken hearts, let us read God’s Word alongside King David from the lonely and dusty caves. Let’s read the Psalms in their original context for what they are… A Book with Rough Edges!
