Today is National Poets Day!
The renowned poet laureate Robert Frost was quoted to have said, “Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.”
How true that statement is. There is music found in the words of a well-crafted poem—music that is heard even if there is no accompanying tune.
As people celebrate poets and poetry today, I can’t help but think of another famous poet—the shepherd boy from Bethlehem who slew a giant and became a war hero and eventually the king of Israel: David.
Not only was he a great warrior, but we know David was also recognized as an incredible musician. Seventy-three of the psalms—sung poetry (sometimes accompanied by musical instruments)—in the Bible are attributed to him.
Reading through the psalms composed by David, also know his poetry contains a variety of emotions—spiritual highs and lows through which he wrestled with his sinful nature and reliance on God for his steadfast love and faithfulness—despite David’s unfaithfulness to God.
David found the words for those emotions and thoughts, and by God’s grace, he was inspired to write them down for you, me, and all believers.
In all of the psalms, you can hear the psalmists’ raw anguish over their sins—the things they wished they had not done. And yet, no matter how deep the depths of their woes, no matter what they were struggling with, their confidence in God and his promises is profoundly comforting. Their hope was in him and his unfailing, unbreakable promises of redemption, forgiveness, and love.
That same confidence is ours because of Jesus and what he has done for us.
Professor John F. Brug wrote this in his People’s Bible commentary on the Psalms (Psalms 1-72):
“The book of Psalms expresses the whole range of emotions which God’s people experience in this life. Nowhere will you find words expressing greater joy than in the psalms of praise and thanksgiving. Nowhere will you find words expressing deeper sorrow than psalms of repentance. Nowhere will you find a more fervent expression of both the sorrows and the joys which life brings. The book of Psalms is a book for every occasion and for every season of life.”
How true that statement is!
Today is National Poets Day.
Even if you’re not one to read a favorite poem, join me in reading a psalm or two. Listen to the psalmists’ words as they pour out their hearts to the God who promises them—and us—that he loves us and has a home in heaven waiting for us—all because of Jesus.
I can think of no better words to express the emotions and thoughts welling up inside my heart.
For devotional material on the Psalms, check out John F. Brug’s The People’s Bible: Psalms 1-72 (and 73-150). Another great resource is Carl M. Zorn’s The Psalms: A Devotional Commentary.
Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.