Flawed and Inspired

The Psalms have a way of settling into our souls.  It is no wonder it has been a hallmark reading for the saints through the centuries.  Reading from this section of the Word is a constant in most daily reading schedules whether we are talking about personal devotional times, or something as structured as monastic life.  Many of us remember the 23rd Psalm as the first Scripture memorized and, perhaps, the most widely read passage at funerals and memorial services.  As we go deeper into our own personal journeys, others Psalms have gotten planted in our spirit and remembered at significant moments.   

The Psalms have a comforting component.  They enable us to grow into an awareness of the way we are inside the providential care of the Creator.  Some send us to our knees in confession and some send us up spiritual mountains with our hands raised in praise.  It often seems that when we are troubled, some Psalm will come in an unexpected way to rescue us and point us to the ongoing love and care of the Father God. To say that the Psalms are divinely inspired is truly an understatement when we consider their encompassing power.  

Yet, even as we affirm that they are divinely inspired, we also affirm that God used a flawed and imperfect man as His partner in bringing these thoughts into visible form.  David was a shepherd boy and a warrior.  He was a fugitive and a King.  He was a Israel's most powerful man and a man who flagrantly abused his power.  Through the ups and downs of his life, he kept reaching upward toward God.  It is always amazing the way God uses flawed folks like David and each one of us to do His Kingdom's work.