“Gut-Level Honesty and Passion”
“Prayer is elemental, not advanced, language,” writes biblical languages scholar Eugene H. Peterson. “It is the means by which our language becomes honest, true, and personal. In the original Hebrew, the Psalms are not genteel—they’re earthy and rough. They are not the prayers of nice people, couched in cultured language. But they have an immense range of gut-level honesty and passion that provides them with terrific energy.”
Of all the depths of Holy Scripture, the Psalms have unequivocally been the bottomless well from which I have and continue to drink most often and most deeply. I know of nowhere else to go but to these prayers and songs to find comfort, understanding, and an authentic way of communicating to God that nothing other than the spiritual language of the Holy Spirit exceeds.
To all the challenging seasons of my life (divorce, health issues, parenting, financial and vocational failure, sin patterns and addictions, hurtful offenses, depression, disappointment, betrayal, etc.) the psalms speak. They have never failed to deliver words that resonate on a profoundly personal level and leave me with an unshakable faith that my experiences are legitimate, and more importantly, that God both cares about my struggles, and will not abandon me to them.
For the last decade, Psalm 3, which I wear on a chain around my neck, has been a particularly powerful reminder and trust-builder in my relationship with God:
Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!2 Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.”[b]
3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.4 I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain.
5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.6 I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.
7 Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.
8 From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.
This psalm may seem excessive or harsh, but I am reminded that my true enemies are not people. My foes are Fear, Anxiety, Hopelessness, Offense, and an Enemy that attempts to assault me daily with thousands of arrows aimed at my mind and heart. This passage gives me resolve and strength like few others can. It is one of my most often used warring passages – that helps me to “take every thought captive” and “stand firm” in the battle (2 Cor. 10:5; Ephesians 6:10-18).
The Sons of Korah – a modern Australian musical group whose entire anthology is devoted exclusively to the Biblical psalms has helped me over the years to feel the emotional energy, and to experience them as they were meant to be heard. Below is their rendition of Psalm 3. I regularly listen to this song before sermons, and in preparing my heart and my courage as I face earthly challenges and spiritual resistance in living the Christian life and pastoring a Life Together community of which I’ve been entrusted. I hope you find it as invigorating as I do.
Blessings and Happy Reading!
Pastor Lee