Over the past few months I’ve been reading through the Psalms—just a few a night just before I go to bed. It had been a while since I’d last read them through, and they astonished me anew. It’s sometimes easy (for me, at least) to forget that history didn’t begin in 1989, when a certain baby was born (i.e. me). There really were people before that—people who loved God and obeyed him, who were tempted and forgiven, who suffered injustice and cried out for salvation. Everything that I’ve felt has been felt before. Every moment of great rejoicing, every moment of near-despair, every moment of confusion or love or hope—all are like countless moments that have happened before, in every nation and age. And that is a very comforting thought. I don’t have to figure out how to talk to God alone. I don’t have to rely only on my own meager experience. I can turn to my spiritual ancestors for advice and guidance, and they will not disappoint.
I’d like to share a psalm with you that’s particularly struck me recently, Psalm 116. As you read it, remember that we are not alone in the Christian life. We are indeed surrounded by a “great crowd of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1). We are part of a spiritual lineage, and, as the psalm itself affirms, we are a part of God’s people in this time. We can rejoice with these fellow-travelers when God has heard our cry, and constantly tell each other what God has done for us. So let us together praise the Lord.