Psalms
May 9–August 15, 2021
The 150 Psalms are prayers and songs that express deep joy, longing, lament, praise, celebration, and hope. This Summer, we spend 15 weeks soaking in the book of Psalms together. Each week’s message will explore a particular Psalm and we will discover together the power in this beautiful book.
The book of Psalms concludes with a song dedicated to simply praising our God. Psalm 150 describes locations, reasons, and methods for praising and shows us that we should prioritize worship in our lives. Adam Barnett closes our series by sharing a bit about Psalm 150 and then speaks with several members of Redeemer about how they prioritize and experience worship amidst the busyness of life.
For week 14 of our Psalms study, we are looking at Psalm 139. This chapter is both a courageous and dangerous prayer from David; he's asking God to search him, reveal his fears, and correct him. Leanne Benton challenges us to pray this same prayer in our own lives.
Psalm 121 is a "Song of Ascent", sung by families and pilgrims on their way up the hill road to Jerusalem. It speaks to the protection and care we experience in God's presence. Adam Barnett shares from this chapter and asks us where we are placing our trust for help on the journey.
Psalm 100 packs an incredible amount of wisdom into a short chapter. These 5 verses give a picture of how we are called to enter into God's presence and worship in response to His incredible goodness. Adam Barnett shares how this psalm tells us to bring grateful praise to our God.
Psalm 91 focuses on the security we find in God's presence. It's easy to take comfort in that idea, but often we can forget our part in that relationship; actual trust. We have to actually trust in God in all things. Wopsle encourages us in Week 11 of our Psalms study to move from talking to trusting.
In Psalm 84, the psalmist describes the amazing feeling of being in the presence of God. They state that they would rather spend one day in God's courts, than spend 1,000 days elsewhere. But for us, the question is how do we develop this passion for God's presence? Dave Brown explores this question in week 10 of our study of the Psalms.
In Psalm 77, we read the prayer of Asaph, who is going through a dark period in his life. And as we read, we find him coming to God in truly honest prayer, searching after God's presence and help. Joe Scruggs explores this prayer and shares wisdom on moving through the dark times in our lives.
In 2 Samuel 11, we read the story of David and Bathsheba and of the murder of her husband Uriah on David's orders. Psalm 51 is David's response after being reprimanded by the prophet Nathan. Adam Barnett walks with us through this Psalm, which is one of the most graphic depictions of confession and repentance found anywhere in the Bible.
Psalm 46 paints a picture of a world in chaos, but with the promise and hope of safety in God. Adam Barnett reminds us of how the Psalm starts; God is our refuge and strength. That even amidst the chaotic world around us, His presence is our safe "base".
Psalm 27 contains four distinct messages about life and how we can seek to find peace amidst the hardness of life. In week 6 of our study of the Psalms, Dave Brown breaks down these messages and encourages us to wait on the Lord.
The imagery in Psalm 23 is of a deep and dependent relationship of the sheep to their shepherd. This ideal example of the relationship between ourselves and God cannot truly look this way without an abiding prayer life. Bill Clark returns to the pulpit for week 5 of our Psalms study to share some simple but profound thoughts on that prayer life.
In just 14 verses, Psalm 19 speaks to the glory of God, the power of God's law, and our response to God's goodness and love. To cover the powerful depth of this Psalm, we heard from Mark Cruz, Kayla Canfield, and Josiah Barkley as they each explore one of these themes.
In Psalm 18, we hear David crying out to God from the midst of distress. Through this prayer, we can take both comfort and challenge. Comfort in knowing that we can rest in God's presence, but the challenge to continually pursue that presence throughout our lives. Adam Barnett explores Psalm 18 in week 3 of our summer-long study of the Psalms.
Our culture is one that is both pride based and shame based. Most of the time we are either elevating ourselves as God or thinking of ourselves as nothing. Psalm 8 speaks to both ends of that spectrum. In Week 2 of our study of the Psalms, Dave Brown unpacks this chapter and helps us to see that knowing our true place in God's presence is essential in seeing through the shame and pride based lies of the enemy.
The book of Psalms is a collection of powerful prayers, songs, and praises. It begins with a call to delight ourselves in God's law—His instruction. And it shows the divergent path we can take if we don't heed this call. Adam Barnett opens our summer-long study of Psalms by exploring these two possible directions of our lives and challenging us to seek that delight in God's word this summer.
Resources for Study & Prayer
Print Devotional
To aid us in this exploration, we have a devotional book we have created through the contributions of over 40 writers and artists. This book is not a day-by-day companion to the teaching series, but a resource to assist in meditating and reflecting on all 150 Psalms.
Music for Meditation & Reflection
We've put together a playlist on Spotify that can be helpful while reading and meditating on the Psalms. Please join us in listening as we worship, meditate, and engage in the Psalms together.
You can sample the playlist here, and listen to the entire thing with a free Spotify account.