Going Deeper: Psalms of Disorientation
Hello all!
Wednesday night at LYFT we continued our series on the Psalms by looking at the Psalms of Disorientation. These are the Psalms that give voice to the seasons of life where everything seems to be falling apart. Psalms of Disorientation express anxiety and pain regarding the troubles of this life that can seem inconsistent with our faith that God is good, loving, and fair. These Psalms ask difficult questions of God about things that just don’t seem to make sense, but they do this while asserting faith in his ability to deliver us from the pain and suffering that we all experience.
Spending time with the Psalms of Disorientation can help us in our faith in several different ways. They help us turn towards God in the middle of our pain. They help us mourn rather than repress our emotions regarding life’s trials. They keep us rooted in reality when we would otherwise be tempted to pretend that everything is fine even when everything is not fine. Perhaps most importantly, the Psalms of Disorientation have historically provided a blueprint for God’s people on how to “wrestle” with him. Wrestling with God is strongly encouraged biblically. He even named his chosen people after “Israel,” who was given that name because of his wrestling with God. I think God encourages this wrestling, because it ultimately brings us to a deeper level of trust in him.
For students and families interested in going deeper with the Psalms of Disorientation, here are some things you can do either individually or as a family:
1) Meditate on and pray the Psalms of Disorientation. There are dozens of examples of these kinds of Psalms. More Psalms fall under this category than any other. Some examples include Psalm 13, 22, 35, 42-43, 74, 79, 86, 95, and 137. You can do either of these things on your own or as a family together. Meditation may sound complicated, but it simply means to focus one’s mind. To meditate on these Psalms simply make an effort to focus your mind on the words of the Psalms. Read through it slowly and intentionally, taking careful notice of the meaning of each word/sentence. The Psalms can also be prayed, which simply means that instead of reading the Psalms to learn something, you are reading them to God as prayers to him.
2) Take more time to write your own Psalms of Disorientation. Click here to download the guide from last night that will help you in the process. One possibility is to have everyone in your family write a Psalm of Disorientation and then pray them all together as a family.
3) Take time as a family to ask difficult questions. The Psalms of Disorientation are not afraid of asking the difficult questions about God, and God is usually content to allow those questions to be asked without providing an answer. Maybe to God there is value is wrestling with a question without coming to a firm answer. Take some time as a family to share some doubts or questions you have about God or the world. Instead of writing your own Psalms, talk about the things about God that don’t make sense, and don’t feel the need to have an answer to the questions that are asked. Wrestling with God is valuable in and of itself.