Day 4

Over 500 years ago Martin Luther pounded a nail through a parchment that would change the history of the world. Luther’s famous Ninety-five Theses kicked off a defiant protest against the abusive religiosity of his day. But it also marked the recovery of the good news that God “justifies the ungodly” (Romans 4:5). But where was Luther digging that enabled him to excavate the good news of Jesus for his day? The Psalms. In 1512 at the age of 28, Luther became a professor at the University of Wittenberg. For the rest of his life he would study and teach the Scriptures, but he began on August 16th 1513 with the book of Psalms. It was through preaching and teaching, praying and singing the Psalms that God began to unveil the gospel of grace to Luther. His studies in the Psalms oriented his heart and mind to discover the “treasure hidden in a field” for which he would joyfully give his life to procure and protect. While we point to the books of Galatians and Romans for his discovery of the doctrine of justification by faith. It all began in the Psalms. 

Many have found that the Psalms give voice to our hearts during the lows and highs of life. Often we find our hearts like a ship driven by wild winds on a stormy sea. The book of psalms is full of heart-felt utterances made during the storms in the author’s life. You won’t find any better words of praise and gratitude. From the psalms, you will pluck flowers from the garden of heaven. You will find also in The Psalms self-knowledge, putting the needs of life into words as if they had been placed there just for you alone. This is why Psalms has always been a favourite. More than any other thing the Psalms teach us how to pray. They become a manual for those who seek a prayer life.