November 2004 - Faith FAQ

What is a psalm?

A psalm is a sacred song or poem. The Old Testament of the Bible contains an entire book of just psalms-- called Psalms! Many of the psalms were written by David, the young shepherd boy who became the great King of Israel.

Psalms are poetry, but they look a little different than the poetry we are used to seeing. Hebrew poetry does not rhyme. Instead, Hebrew poets repeated ideas rather than sounds. So, one line of a psalm may say something one way, and the next line will say the same thing, perhaps using different words.

Psalms were written to express emotion to God. Not all of the emotions are positive and joyful. Many of the psalms are angry. The writers pour out their hearts to God, telling how hurt they are or how angry or how frustrated. There is a good lesson for us here! No matter what we are feeling, it's ok to tell God about it. (After all, God already knows what we are feeling, right?).

We can't pretend with God. By truly sharing our real feelings, God will help us work through them. That is a way to get closer to God. There is no one safer to share our pain and our anger than God. God is big enough to take anything we are feeling! Think about it.... if you start shouting at a friend who has let you down, you might create all sorts of hard feelings. Better to share your hurt with God and let God help you before you go and discuss the issue with your friend.

Some people think that they need to only pray "good" or "nice" things to God, but the psalms teach us that God cares more about hearing our true feelings than in pretending.