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The Psalms as Models for Clear Worship
By Joshua Mills
In the latter part of the 1600s, Christians in Scotland faced horrific persecution. The “bonnie fields of Scotland” became a bloodbath for Christians. Those who stood for the “Crown Rights of King Jesus” in Scotland were mocked and then martyred. Yet, as blood cried out from the ground, songs rose up to heaven. Many of the Covenanter martyrs went to their deaths singing Psalms.1 The Psalms were so highly treasured because they so easily related to the “anatomy of the human heart,” as John Calvin would say, during times of great difficulty.
The importance of the Psalter did not, however, start with the Scottish Church, but with the people of Israel. The book of Psalms has been the songbook for the Church down through the centuries. The Psalms are a model for clear worship. When you do not know what to cry out in distress, you can turn to a Psalm and find the longing of your heart: “Help me, O Lord my God! Save me according to your steadfast love” (Psalm 109:26).
To show you that the Psalms are a model for clear worship, I want to set before you an imprecatory psalm that opens the anatomy of the human heart. In Psalm 109, we hear David crying out for God’s justice against wicked people who are persecuting him and opposing God’s people. In verse 2, David says, “Wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues.” Throughout the Psalm, you find a man who is hurting.
Psalm 109 is an imprecatory psalm because David calls upon the Lord to judge those who have acted wickedly against him. These prayers are not invitations to personal vengeance. Rather, they teach God’s people to entrust justice to the righteous Judge instead of taking revenge into their own hands. Christians can bring their suffering and their longing for justice before the Lord while remembering the command to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them (Matthew 5:44; Romans 12:19).
I think the comfort of this Psalm is found in the fact that God gives us clear language for worship when we are found in great distress. Psalm 109 shows us that biblical worship doesn’t require us to pretend that distress isn’t real. It teaches us how to bring the reality of our distress into the presence of God. In light of Psalm 109, let us consider three realities about worship.
First, Be Honest Before the Lord in Worship
Psalm 109 does not give us vague religious language. David doesn’t hide his circumstances, and he doesn’t hide his emotions. He brings them directly to God. He is distressed. Wicked people are speaking against him. He is poor and needy. Look at the language David used:
- Verse 22: “I am poor and needy, and my heart is stricken within me.”
- Verse 23: “I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust.”
- Verse 24: “My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt, with no fat.”
- Verse 26: “Help me, O Lord my God! Save me according to your steadfast love!”
Often, we like to mask our distress. It may be a dark night of the soul, and yet we are tempted to pretend that it is all sunshine and roses. The Lord, in His kindness, has given His afflicted people a category of worship in the dark night of the soul. Be honest! When words fail you, pray and sing Psalm 109.
Second, Be Personal Before the Lord in Worship
The Lord does not ask you to impress Him with your vocabulary. He invites you to come as a needy child to your heavenly Father. In Psalm 109, we find language that is simple enough for a child.
Think about a little child who has a need. What do they say? “Mom, help.” “Dad, help.” Or imagine a child who is frightened by something. They grab their father’s leg and say, “Save me!”
Why don’t we pray like that?
We are children of God by grace. We have a Father in heaven. The psalmist prays that way! “Help me.” “Save me.” His confidence that the Lord will help him is rooted in the fact that God is his God:
- Verse 21: “But you, O God my Lord…”
- Verse 26: “Help me, O Lord my God.”
In seasons of distress, there is tremendous comfort in those two words. We hear similar language in Psalm 63:1: “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you.” David is poor and needy. God is abounding in steadfast love. Spurgeon once said, “When man has no mercy to you, fall back on the God of mercy.”
Throughout the Scriptures, you find God’s people preaching gospel truths to their own hearts in worship, just like David did. For example, think of the apostle Paul in the book of Galatians:
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
Martin Luther once said, “the sweetness of the gospel is found in the personal pronoun ‘me.’”
Has that reality hit home in your life? Has the sweetness of the gospel penetrated your heart? In private worship, we should speak that language! Oh, what matchless and amazing grace for me! Jesus Christ loved me and gave Himself for me. O God, because of that, You are my God. Earnestly I seek You! Never lose the wonder of the gospel!
Third, Be Christ-Centered in Your Worship
We come to the Father, through God the Son incarnate, and by the Spirit. Psalm 109 ultimately points us to Jesus Christ, the true worshiper!
Do you remember what Thomas said in John 20:28 when he saw the risen Christ? “My Lord and my God.” Isn’t that similar language to Psalm 109:26? “Help me, O Lord my God.”
Psalm 109 is ultimately speaking about our Lord Jesus Christ, not simply David! The psalm had an immediate fulfillment in David’s life, but its ultimate fulfillment is in the life of Jesus Christ.
The New Testament itself establishes this connection. In Acts 1:20, Peter applies Psalm 109:8 to Judas Iscariot, who betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ. This shows us that David’s suffering and the opposition he faced find a greater fulfillment in the rejection and betrayal of Christ.
Wicked and deceitful men spoke lies against Him. They falsely accused Him. Pilate could find no guilt in Him, yet they condemned Him. In steadfast love, Jesus went to the cross.
In Hebrews 5:7, we read about Jesus:
“In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.”
Jesus prayed on behalf of sinners. He entered into our distress. He bore the curse of God’s holy wrath in the stead of all who would believe upon Him. And then, He defeated our greatest enemy: death.
Ten out of ten people will go to the grave. But Jesus Christ rose from the grave victoriously.
Conclusion: The Psalms Lead Us to Christ
To conclude, Psalm 109 leads us to clear worship because it ultimately leads us to Jesus Christ, the One who is worthy of all of our worship.
Whether you are in the flames of persecution like the Scottish Covenanters or in the valley of a dark providence, the Psalms give us a reason for worship.
When you do not know what to cry out in distress, you can turn to a Psalm and find the longing of your heart: “Help me, O Lord my God! Save me according to your steadfast love” (Psalm 109:26).
It is in Jesus Christ that we see the steadfast love of the Lord on full display. It is for that reason that we worship!
Footnotes
Clarity in Worship: Beholding the Glory of God with Understanding
Joshua J. Mills is married to his beloved Kyla and they have two children: Isaac and Lydia. Outside of the home, Joshua has the privilege of serving as pastor at Trinity Baptist Church (Burlington, Ontario) and as a guest lecturer through Carey International University of Theology.
