Psalms – St. George's Church Ramsgate

Joy in Victory (Psalm 126)

Jesus says: “I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.” (John 16:20)

Thinking of World War II it is often the case that the greater the suffering or challenge the greater the joy when the suffering or challenge is overcome. In the quote above, Jesus was preparing the disciples for his imminent death. For many at the time, the death of Jesus was a reason to rejoice. A trouble maker had been eliminated, the status quo maintained.

But, the greater joy would be reserved for Jesus’ disciples. Although, they would go through the trauma of losing Jesus, they would discover the amazing joy of seeing him again as the one who had defeated sin and removed the fear of death, not just violent death as at the end of World War II, but the fear of death full stop. That is the incredible joy that people are still discovering today, as they come to follow Jesus.

Confessing (Psalm 32)

‘I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.’ Psalm 32:5

There are earthly consequences to our sin, broken relationships, justice, maybe if a law was broken. When you remember back to times you have confessed something you may have only got back guilt and shame from that person or done the same for someone confessing something to you. We are not perfect, things hurt us and we respond. However let’s look together and what Confession is, how we can confess to God and how we can better support others who confess to us and want to accept God’s forgiveness.

Crying (Psalm 6)

“Turn LORD and deliver me, save me because of your unfailing love.” (Psalm 6:4)

We continue our series on Spirituality for Dark Times with Psalm 6, ‘Crying’.

Fearing (Psalm 34)

“Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.” (Psalm 34:9)

We often think of spirituality as bringing us a sense of peace and comfort from connecting with God’s love and that is true. But it should also bring us into a healthy fear of God. Fear of God is freeing not limiting, it brings peace, because we are confident that justice will win out and it develops a wisdom in us, that will enable us to prosper in life.

Meditating (Psalm 1)

“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” (Psalm 19:7)

How do we remain rooted and flourishing through the dark times? Meditate on God’s word.

Waiting (Psalm 130-131)

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.” (Psalm 130:5)

How do we keep going through dark times? Wait on God.

Seeking (Psalm 143)

“Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)

By saying the Psalms, we discover that we share with people down the ages the same distress, despair and doubt as saints throughout history. Yet, out of the struggle we are also joined to their faith, which leads them out of the darkness of despair to the light of hope, out of the powerlessness of life to the power of God, our rock and our salvation.

Out of Darkness (Psalm 103)

“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” (Psalm 103:2)

This week we begin our series, “Spirituality for dark times.”, ‘dark times’ is meant to refer to times of difficulty or struggle that many of us are or may face. So, how do we deal with these “dark times”? As Christians we have a distinctive perspective. We believe in a God who is both in charge of the universe in ways beyond our comprehension and yet incredibly is also totally committed to us at a deeply personal level. For us spirituality is not just a set of practices to make us feel better, but a way of renewing and deepening our faith in the God of Jesus Christ, that reorients our souls from darkness to light.