#30SecondBible: Psalms

150 Different Songs

By Amy Kumm-Hanson

The Book of Psalms is a collection of 150 different songs, which function as prayers. The book of Psalms can be found in the Hebrew Bible or in the Christian Old Testament. The authorship of these songs are unknown, but many are attributed to King David, although it is unlikely that he wrote all that are attributed to him. Psalms are intended to be sung or read responsively, and continue to be used in worship services today. There are a variety of psalms, including songs of praise, songs of lament, and songs of intercession.

  1. What Are your favorite Psalms? Why?
  2. How do contemporary songs function as prayers in our world today?

When Words Escape Us

By Amy Kumm-Hanson

The good news of the book of Psalms is that we can know that it is okay to come before God however we are feeling. We can come in joy and celebration, with lament and mourning, and even in raging anger, calling God to task for failing to adhere to God’s promises. God wants to hear all of our rejoicing and all of our lamenting. The book of psalms is concerned with universal aspects of the human condition. Furthermore, the psalms are prayers. We can borrow these words when words escape us.

  1. What do you say when words escape you?
  2. When was the last time you came before God in celebration? In lament and mourning? In raging anger?

The Original Hymnal

By Jim Kast-Keat

The book of Psalms is the original hymnal, an anthology of ancient poetry traversing the human experience in the life of faith and doubt. Divided into five section, likely to imitate the five-fold division of the Torah, the Psalms open by calling the reader to a life of obedience. They climax at Psalm 73 with a crisis when divine faithfulness is in doubt. And they conclude with faith’s triumph, praising God not for God’s rewards, but for God’s being.

  1. When was a time you doubted God’s divine faithfulness?
  2. In your own words, what does it mean to praise God not for God’s rewards, but for God’s being?

Not All Rainbows And Snoopies

By Jim Kast-Keat

I walk into a hospital room. I introduce myself and ask if they would like to speak with a chaplain. I sit, we chat, creating space for whatever pain, discomfort, fear, or uncertainty they are experiencing. And more often than not before I walk out of the room I reach into my suit coat for my Bible. I open it to a well worn crease and read the words of Psalm 88: “O Lord, God of my salvation, when, at night, I cry out in your presence, let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry. For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to hell." Life is not all rainbows and Snoopies. And the good news of the Psalms is that they meet us in every aspect of our life, especially the pain, discomfort, fear, and uncertainty.

  1. How has God met you in your pain, discomfort, fear, and uncertainty?
  2. What do you think it means that “life is not all rainbows and Snoopies?"

See the complete #30SecondBible series

To read more about ON Scripture's partnership with Jim Kast-Keat visit the project homepage.