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Beginning the Journey (for new Christians). en Español

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Stained glass window, St. Wenedlin Catholic Church, St. Henry, Ohio. Photo © Russ Martin, AKA Steeple Chaser. Used by permission of the photographer.

The Book of Psalms represents a rich tapestry of prayer and praise. Some psalms reflect a texture of deep despair, other glow with a deep peace in the Lord's strength, still others bubble with an exuberant exaltation of the Most High God. They cover the range of human emotion and experience. What they all have in common is prayer, a reaching out to God from every imaginable experience.

In this 12-week study we'll attempt to enter into the experience of the psalms. Yes, we'll explore the meanings of words and learn to appreciate the high art of these poetic masterpieces. We will study thoughtfully, carefully. But more than that we will find out how to pray. We will know how to find peace in the midst of turmoil. We will learn to be thankful. We will begin to follow the pattern of the psalmists as we begin to praise. In short, with the psalms that we study as our guide, we will grow deeper in our walk with the Lord and more able to offer worthy praise to the King. We will experience the Psalms.

I must say that narrowing down the psalms we'll study to just a few has been difficult. For more than forty years I have been reading the Psalms through at least twice a year. So many of the psalms have become my friends, my companions. When I come to them in my reading, I am delighted to read their faith-filled words once again. As I surveyed the Psalms in preparation for this study, I listed 70 psalms as my "favorites," and even that list of nearly half of the total of 150 psalms had to leave out some that I loved. But how can I narrow down the number to perhaps three dozen without leaving out some of the gems of the Psalter? I can't. At best the 13 lessons in this study can serve only as an introduction to the rich collection of psalms that speak to us so profoundly.

My prayer is that you will purpose in this study to grow in your heart even more than you grow in your mind. That you will embrace these psalms and make them your own. That as you journey through this life you walk with these psalms as your guides and companions as you travel to your final destination -- an eternity in fellowship with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Yours in Christ,
Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
Loomis, California

Copyright © 2026, Ralph F. Wilson. <pastorjoyfulheart.com> All rights reserved. A single copy of this article is free. Do not put this on a website. See legal, copyright, and reprint information.

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