Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

to expand the gates of our worship experience. The scripture tells us to ‘lift up’ or expand the worship- gate of our: • Heads- “ …stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Lk. 21:26, NIV) We must expand our understanding of worship. • Eyes- “ I lift my eyes to you, O God, enthroned in heaven.”(Ps. 123:1) We must expand our vi- sion of Christ. • Hands- “ I will honor you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you…”(Ps. 63:4) We must ex- pand our reach for the things of God. • Heart- “ Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven…” (Lam. 3:41) We must expand our love for him. • Soul- “ To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.” (Ps. 25:1) We must expand our emotional capacity to receive his blessing. • Voice- “ …lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid.” (Isa. 40:9) We must expand our vocal expression of praise and worship. This earth-jarring worship happened when Solomon, the newly crowned son of David entered Jerusalem. “ And all the people returned with Solomon to Jerusalem, playing flutes and shouting for joy. The celebration was so joyous and noisy that the earth shook with the sound.”(1 Kgs. 1:40) It also happened when Jesus, the King of the Jews entered the city of Jerusalem: “ He was in the center of the procession, and the crowds all around him were shouting, ‘Praise god for the Son of David! Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God in highest heaven!’ the entire city of Jerusalem was STIRRED as he entered. ‘ Who is this? ‘they asked. And the crowds replied, ‘ It’s Jesus…’” (Mt. 21:8-11) ‘Stirred’ refers to the shaking of minds and hearts; worship should ‘shake peo- ple up’ and cause either a positive of negative emotional reaction to Christ. When the crowd asked ‘ Who is this…’ they were fulfilling the question of Psalm 24: ‘ Who is this King of glory? ” The answer is: “ It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”(Mt. 21:11) This psalm ultimately points to the ascension of Christ after his resurrection when he opened the ‘gates of eternity’ (ancient doors) for all who believe in him. “ When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives…”(Eph. 4:8) As he approaches the ancient doors of heaven that have been shut since the fall of mankind, the redeemed people of the Old Testament times are accompanying him and they begin to sing out: “ Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter.” The angelic choir inside the gates of the celestial city begins to sing: “ Who is the King of glory? ” The captives who have been set free sing anxiously, their voices shaking the gates: “ The Lord Almighty- he is the King of glory. ” Joyfully, the doors swing open to the grand entrance of the King and his worship- pers!

PSALM 25: TO YOU, O LORD, DO I LIFT UP MY SOUL Rising from Defeat

This Psalm was written as David faced defeat yet it expresses hope and confidence that he will be led on a path of deliverance and blessing. It is a companion to Psalm 34 as both are ‘acrostic’ poems, each verse beginning with one of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet although this psalm has some irregularities in the order. It is completely New Testament in spirit and some of the greatest verses of the Old Testament are found within it.

It contains two Prayer sections wrapped around a section filled with the magnificent Promises of God. David’s song is a pattern we would do well to follow in our own worship life.

I . TRUST IN YOU - The Prayers of David - 1-7 II. TEACHING HIS WAY - The Promises of God- 8-15 III. TURN TO ME - The Petitions of David- 16-22

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