I Lift Up My Eyes

I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?—Psalm 121:1

With this month’s issue, I have completed writing on all 150 psalms in four devotional studies. It has been a transformative experience. I am continually struck by the psalmists’ honesty with God, the careful artistry of their poems, and their relationship with God in joy and sorrow. When I pray the Psalms, I am joining in the same prayers that God’s people have voiced for some 3,000 years.

This month, we are studying Book 5 (Psalms 107–150). In this section, the whole gamut of human experience is brought before God in prayer. But there is more praise than lament, and the book concludes with a rousing Hallelujah Chorus! My prayer is that through this study, we will:

• Grow in our ability to relate to God in joy and sorrow
• Express gratitude to God based on His mighty acts of salvation
• Long for Christ’s return when we will be in His presence forever

Your devotional author,
Ryan J. Cook