The Power Of Psalm 92: The Joy Of Flourishing In His Presence: The Power Of Psalms Series, #2

By Johannes Tefo

The Power of Psalm 92: The Joy of Flourishing in His Presence is your guide to discovering how to thrive in God's presence, no matter what life brings. Rooted in the timeless truths of Psalm 92, this book reveals the secret to living with joy, strength, and purpose.

 

Learn how to stay grounded in faith, even during life's toughest seasons. You'll uncover the principles of spiritual growth, how to bear fruit in every season, and how God's presence can transform your life from merely surviving to truly flourishing. Whether you're longing for peace, seeking renewal, or wanting to deepen your walk with God, this book equips you with the tools to grow.

 

Through practical insights and encouraging reflections, The Power of Psalm 92 helps you embrace God's plan for your life and experience the joy that comes from living in His presence. Flourish where you're planted and discover the abundance of joy, strength, and fulfillment God promises!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Johannes Tefo
• Release date: Oct 11, 2024
• ISBN: 9798227132864

Johannes Tefo

Before he started writing Christian books, Johannes got a graduate degree in Film and Television from university of Johannesburg. After that, just to shake things up, he went to equip himself with religious studies, particularly Christianity, just to have knack about the world beyond the curtains of time. And how this body of Christ has transformed millions of people around the world, not neglecting how sadly the movement has been persecuted from time to time. He now writes full time.

Book preview

Introduction to Psalms.

As the songbook of God’s Old Testament people, the Psalms breathe prayer from start to finish. These songs, poems, and prayers were composed by a variety of people over a thousand years. Many flowed from King David, the singer of Israel’s psalms (2 Samuel 23:1). Others come from Asaph and Ethan, national worship leaders appointed by David. Several of the earliest psalms trace back to Moses, Solomon added others, and a priestly family named the Son of Korah contributed songs over centuries.

Although Israel incorporated these psalms into formal group worship, many relay intensely personal cries of individuals. Praise, confusion, remorse, anger, and joy come raw and unfiltered. And throughout history, this songbook of Israel has become the prayer book of all God’s people. Believers find here not only comforting words and beautiful prose but also a grid for processing life’s most extreme difficulties. The psalms leave no doubt God can handle your speaking out loud your most wrenching emotions. They also make it obvious that God won’t abandon you to despair. He aims to lead you to new calm, purpose, and trust.

A surprising number of these songs talk about God and his acts in the third person. Praying this book invites you to turn these declarations about God into prayers to God. Whatever the subject of these psalms, however much their bluntness challenges you, no matter how near or far their world seems from yours, you can make these inspired words part of your everyday conversation with God.

History

Historically, the Gospel narratives and the Psalms have been the two greatest sources for Christian meditation and contemplation in the Bible. The Psalter functioned as the Jewish Common Prayer book. Used in synagogues and private worship, it was Jesus’ common prayer book.

During the monastic period, the Psalms were read, recited, and prayed in continuous cycles. The famous rule of St. Benedict moves the participant through the whole Psalter in one week. The Book of Common Prayer (1552, revised 1662) of the Church of England provides a way to pray through or recite the whole Psalter in a month, in morning and evening common prayer. Calvin and the Reformed churches put the Psalms in metrical verse and set them to music for congregational song. In his commentary on the Psalms, Calvin wrote, The design of the Holy Spirit [was]... to deliver the church a common form of prayer.

Today, the Psalms have fallen into disuse for several reasons. First, there are the difficult passages (especially for modern sensibilities) seeking retribution on enemies, and many places of despondence. Second, more recent interpreters have been afraid to interpret the Psalter as referring to Christ, his person, and work, even though Christ himself did so! Third, it takes some theological literacy to navigate the Psalms, and that literacy is no longer widespread. Finally, the Psalms are poetry that takes time to penetrate, while we live in a fast-paced culture with little time for reflection.

Christ in the Psalms

Much of the sweetness and light of the Psalms lies in the way they point to the Messiah to come, Jesus Christ. 6 How can we see him there? First, remember that Jesus did sing and pray the Psalms. Imagine what he thought of them in the different aspects of his person and work. Examples: (a) imagine him singing the Psalms in his humanity, (b) in his deity, (c) in his humiliation, (d) in his exaltation. Always ask, Where might this fit into his life? For example, consider Jesus singing Psalm 27 on Easter Eve.

Second, imagine singing the psalm to Jesus. When you come to a lament psalm, you nearly automatically think of it about suffering or feelings you have had. But remember what Jesus suffered. When you come to a psalm of refuge, remember that we hide in him and he covers our sins, shielding us from punishment, which ultimately is the only real danger. When you come to a psalm of wisdom, remember that the gospel is the only way to make sense of the ambiguities of life. You are a righteous sinner, living in the overlap of the ages.

As we have just seen, you don’t need to look for Christ only in the traditional Messianic psalms. When Paul in Romans 15:8-9 quotes Psalm 18:49 as the words of Christ, he takes them from a psalm that seems to have no reference at all to any Messiah, anointed prince, or suffering servant. Why did he do it?

Paul saw that Christ, as the Lord of the covenant, is the object of every psalm and, as the truest Servant of the Covenant, is the subject of every psalm. So, when you are seeking and searching out the Psalms, look at each one both ways. The Messianic psalms, however, are particularly rich views of Christ.

They include the following:

• The Conquering King and enthroned Messiah (Psalms 2, 110)

• The Rejected Messiah (Psalm 118)

• The Betrayed Messiah (Psalms 69 and 109)

• The Dying and Raised Messiah (Psalms 22 and 16)

• The Written Plan and Marriage of the Messiah (Psalms 40 and 45)

• The Triumph of the Messiah (Psalms 68 and 72)

Praying Psalms.

Psalms are all time beautiful. Throughout my lifetime, I have never come across any book written so beautifully than Psalms. I read more than 500 books a year. I have to say, I have read quite a number of books so far. I have read Psalms over and over again. It is a beautiful moving poetic book of prayer, meditation, and praise.

It is not only that; psalms are songs of deliverance. Songs of victory over the power of darkness. Jesus Christ taught Psalms, studied Psalms, sang Psalms, and was often quoted from the book of Psalms. Psalm 2, 16, 22, 21, 69, and 110 have prophecies about the messiah Jesus Christ. Starting from Psalms 1 to 150, we behold the face of the mercy and grace of