When my sons were small, it was not unusual for one of them to place tiny hands on either side of my face and turn it toward them when they were talking to me. Distracted and doggedly multitasking, I’m afraid that I was not always a very satisfying audience, and they wanted undivided attention for their words. Even a toddler can discern the connection between our hearts and our eyes.
Knowing us well, God has given us the Psalms to turn our eyes toward him and all that he is doing and wants to do for his children. They are an entrance to the large interior of a praying life, where we find ourselves listening for the voice of God as our own words are being shaped around the psalmists’ prayers.
The Psalms build our trust in God as they deepen our perception of his character and his ways. Whatever sadness I may be carrying, God is tender toward it, and God is also the Tend-er of my soul. He administers help to his children, his sheep, according to his own wisdom.
Knowing us well, God has given us the Psalms to turn our eyes toward him and all that he is doing and wants to do for his children. They are an entrance to the large interior of a praying life.
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Crossway has just released a new Bible study on the Psalms. Co-authored by Winfree Brisley and Sharonda Cooper, its value lies not only in its examination of 15 of the 150 psalms in the Old Testament. Turn Your Eyes teaches the reader how to study the Bible’s songbook, modeling the process of observation, interpretation, and application for fruitful study in the future.
Because the psalms engage every condition and circumstance of life, they are crucial for the believer’s formation, for turning our eyes to God’s glory and grace. However, because they are written in Hebrew poetry, the figurative language can be a barrier to understanding. The authors urge us to “pay attention not only to what is said but to how it’s said.”
Over the course of eight weeks, the study examines each major type of psalm, the characteristics of psalms, and best practices for discerning connections to the New Testament and the gospel message. I especially appreciated each week’s opening section, a prayer prompt incorporating words from the Psalms. As the authors have said, the Psalms “weren’t primarily written to be read. They were written to be sung and prayed—by all God’s people. David means for us to say along with him, “God rescued me because he delighted in me.”
As the Psalms tutor us to turn our eyes to the Lord, we discover, with joy, that, all along, his eyes have already been turned toward us in love.
Holding You in the Light,
Turn Your Eyes teaches the reader how to study the Bible’s songbook, modeling the process of observation, interpretation, and application for fruitful study in the future. @crossway @WinfreeBrisley @scooperfit
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Our two grandchildren love to take my face in their hands and get close and look into my eyes. Such sweet moments. We usually begin giggling. I don’t even mind that sometimes the hands are sticky or dirty. Those are precious hands. I pray that I always have my face turned to God and am listening for His message. Have a blessed day! 🙂
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God has built so many “attention getters” into his creation. May we find our faces turned toward him every day!
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I always loved when children’s hands were on my face 🙂 With one of my granddaughters, we both would do it to the other and it is a tender memory for me. This – “Whatever sadness I may be carrying, God is tender toward it, and God is also the Tend-er of my soul.” Amen!
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That’s definitely a poignant image, isn’t it. So purposeful and yet so intimate.
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Grateful for your reminder that God is tender toward my sadness on the approaching 2nd anniversary of my husband’s death. Grateful that He is the Tend-er of my soul. Thanks for your encouragement Michele!
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Oh, I’m so sorry for your loss, Diane. And I applaud your openness to talking about it, feeling it, and letting it be a real matter of concern that you bring to the Lord on this upcoming painful anniversary.
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