I love the little inscriptions before many of the psalms, such as the one before Psalm 59:
“For the director of music. To the tune, ‘Do Not Destroy.’ Of David. A miktam. When Saul had sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him.”
These song and setting descriptions help readers understand the context in which the psalm was written—whether David was on the run or hiding in a cave, celebrating a victory or mourning a loss, dancing with joy or shaking in fear.
But these inscriptions show us a powerful reality: that in the midst of the danger, the mayhem, the betrayal, the battle, or the celebration, David found a way to pen a song to God.
He expressed his pain and his praise with his pen, no matter what was happening around him.
TAKE THE TIME TO TALK TO GOD.
In Psalm 62:8, David implores the listener to:
“Trust in Him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to Him,
for God is our refuge.”
If we want to become men and women after God’s own heart, we must learn how to intimately and honestly pour out our hearts to God—to press pause on the madness unfolding around us and express to Him our deepest feelings and fears.
I encourage you to take time to journal your prayers to God. You don’t have to be a song lyricist to express your feelings to God in an honest prayer.
In the Pages app on my phone is my digital journal. In a way, the entries represent my “psalms” to God. In this journal are my honest prayers, pains, and praises to God in the midst of the highs and lows of my life. My “psalms” are not inspired like David’s, but they are inspiring to me.
START A PRAYER JOURNAL TODAY.
Are you doing something like this in your prayer and devotional life? If not, I encourage you to start.
Pour out your heart to God. Be honest, be real, be reverent, but pour it all out to Him as a regular rhythm in your life.
Over the years, as you look back and read these “psalms” and prayers you’ve penned, you’ll see God’s pattern of faithfulness through it all.
This article originally appeared on gregstier.org and is reposted here by permission.