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Wyatt Graham

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Psalms

How to Complain Christianly

November 16, 2016 by wagraham Leave a Comment

Welcome Images. No modification. License.
Welcome Images. No modification. License.

The Psalms also teach us to talk to God, to pray. They teach us how to complain to God and to praise God. How to accuse God, how to honour God. How to lament to him, how to thank him.

Many of us probably feel comfortable praising and honouring God, but it feels intuitively wrong to complain, accuse, or lament to him, and yet the Psalms often teach us to do just that.

We need to be very careful here, because simply telling God how you feel in all its ugliness can be a recipe for darkness, despair and God’s displeasure. The Psalms avoid these dark paths, and they instead lead us down a road of sorrow, reconciliation, and praise. They supply divine words to our distasteful experience. By speaking the words of the Psalms to God, we are really using words supplied by the Holy Spirit to work through our relationship with our Father. [Read more…] about How to Complain Christianly

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: Augustine, Complaint, Psalms, Theology

How to Feel Emotions Christianly

November 14, 2016 by wagraham Leave a Comment

A rope
By Phillip Cappe without change. Click picture for license.
By Phillip Cappe, without change. Click picture for license.

Have you ever wondered if there is a Christian way to feel? All of us experience deep seated anger, depths of depression, and delights of joy. Sometimes we let emotions overwhelm us without giving it a second thought. Yet there is a distinctively Christian way that we should experience these emotions. It is the Psalms that teach us how to handle times of joy and sorrow.

The early Christians understood this. Consider the words of Saint Athanasius in his Letter to Marcellinus on the Psalms: “These words become like a mirror to the person singing them, so that he might perceive himself and the emotions of his soul” (§12). When he reads the Psalms he sees himself as if looking into mirror, reflecting back to him the emotions of his soul. When the Psalmist cries, Athanasius sees his tears; when the Psalmist shouts with joy, Athanasius sees himself smile. [Read more…] about How to Feel Emotions Christianly

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: Asaph, Bittnerness, Psalms

Psalm 73

November 10, 2016 by wagraham Leave a Comment

A psalm of Asaph

God is indeed good to Israel,
to those who are pure of heart.

But I, well, my feet nearly fell down.
My steps nearly slipped away,
because I envied fools.
I saw the well-being of evil people.

[Read more…] about Psalm 73

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: Hebrew Bible, Psalm 73, Psalms

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Wyatt is the Executive Director of The Gospel Coalition Canada. He enjoys his family and writing. You'll generally find him hiding away somewhere with his nose in a book.

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