“One difficulty is praying these psalms of orientation is how easy it is to pray the truth simply because it is in the Bible without ever considering if we really believe it is true. . . . Too many of us simply exclaim Scripture is true without ever realizing that our hearts are elsewhere.”- Kyle Strobel and John Coe
Kyle Strobel and John Coe move on in Chapter 5 of Where Prayer Really Begins with a detailed discussion of psalms of orientation and disorientation. The authors discuss the third type of psalm tomorrow.
1. Psalms of orientation. These psalms include praise as well as wisdom psalms. Therefore, these psalms encourage us to pray and stay open to God. Also to praise and trust Him in His life plan for His people.
Yet, in adverse times we may not feel like doing these things. However, God’s truth as unveiled in these psalms remains unchanged. They still speak truth. Above all, it’s good for us to know this. In fact, the authors underscore, these psalms (a) elevate our souls to something greater than our trials and (b) open us to a deeper abiding in God.
2. Psalms of disorientation. These psalms represent the greatest percentage of the Psalms. They reveal that life looks far from perfect. Certainly, these psalms help us cope with our present torment and anguish. But they also possess the potential to nudge us out of hiding to experience what’s really going on in our hearts.
Because too often, the authors counsel, we see our brokenness and turn to worldly grief. That’s why it’s crucial to take adequate time for resolution and repentance. With worldly grief we find ourselves tempted to grieve over brokenness and sin in the flesh. That’s simply a strategy for moving on and hoping for the best.
In conclusion, Kyle and John exhort:
“No honest reading of Scripture leaves us with a God who meets all our expectations. Rather, God confounds us. As he does so, he offers us a book of prayers that teach us how to lament and complain to God about God himself! His ways are not our ways indeed!”
Today’s question: What Scriptures help you pray the truth and truly believe it? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: Shepherding us into His rest”
