Somewhere in all my reading, I have picked up on the notion that reading Psalms is similar to looking over a person's shoulder as they honestly engage with God. It is often autobiographical, for both the writer of the Psalm and the reader. So many times do I see myself in the words and thoughts and language of the Psalms.
Carson, in his book God Who is There explains the Psalms in a unique way:
Those of you who have been Christians for some time or who have gotten to know some elderly believers, are usually the ones who love the book of Psalms. Not a lot of people know the book at age 25, because the book of Psalms resonates with people who have had a lot of experiences. You have to have quite a lot of different experiences under your belt before you resonate easily with a lot of the things that are said in the book of Psalms: lament, loss, shame, death, triumph, the exaltation of informed and godly God-centered praise, and prophecy anticipating what is still to come.
Why am I so drawn to the Psalms? I think the above paragraph sums it up for me. The words in Psalms resonates with me, settles me, reminds me that to honestly voice my soul to God is acceptable to the God who created the heavens and the earth. I find the writer's of Psalms to be authentic, to be real, to be honest with God--the good, the bad and the ugly. Me too, that is what I desire as well. It is not easy, but it is good and right.
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