Books on the Psalms of Ascents

PASTOR’S CORNERDear Friends,If you were with us this past week for worship you heard me quote an early church father, Athanasius of Alexandria. He pens one of the best statements I've ever read about the Psalms when he says, “...the Psalms have a unique place in the Bible because most of the Scripture speaks to us, while the Psalms speak for us.” This is very true!One of the applications that I made during last week's sermon is how the Psalms give us prayer language; they give us words and emotions to express to God. Sometimes we just don't know what to say or how to pray or where to begin talking with God - the Psalms are there to help us worship and talk with God.As we journey through the Psalms of Ascents (Psalms 120-134) I want to tell you about two resources that have been a great blessing to me and I hope will be of encouragement to you. The first is a book by a friend and former professor of mine, Derek Thomas. The book is called A Voyage of Discovery: The Ups and Downs of the Christian Life. This book was previously published under the title, Making the Most of Your Devotional Life. The second resource is by Eugene Peterson. His book, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, is also an excellent devotional book. Both of these books are essentially devotional books that walk you through the Psalms of Ascents. I commend them both to you to help you in your walk with the Lord.Now, I just gave you two of the most important tools in my tool box when it comes to a sermon series on the Psalms of Ascents so don't be surprised if you here a quote or two from these books. They have become worn out books for me because of the wealth of wisdom and encouragement they contain as the authors dive deep into the rich, biblical truth of these important Psalms.I invite you to come along and study with me. Enjoy!By His Grace and to His praise,Wilson