We are finishing our study in the psalms today.  I started the study to aid my development in worship and praise.  I think that I have achieved my goal.  there are a number of details that have really helped:

1. The psalmists are authentic with God.  They do not sugar-coat their feelings of abandonment, their desires for glory, their longing for vindication.  The images are strong and show desperation at times, coupled with real fears.  therefore my prayers and worship to God should be conducted from the heart.  I should express, confusion, disappointment and even anger with God.
2. Private prayers and poems became public property.  The confession of private struggles with God validated the common experience of struggling to maintain the faith.  I should not hide the authentic ups and downs of my walk with God from those who could grow through shared experience.
3. The psalmist always brings himself back to a position of faithful submission to God.  Despite their laments, cries of despair, victories over enemies, and moral failures, the psalmists always raise God up as worthy of praise and honour.  In spite of difficult circumstances the psalmists always trust in God.  I can do the same.
4. The psalmists used the artistry of poetry and song to affectively express their inner life.  The psalms are evidence of a life of worship and praise taht engaged multiple art forms.  We should not be afraid to employ poetry, drama, dance, and the fine arts to express our experiences of life with God.

Psam 72

Of Solomon.

 ¹ Endow the king with your justice, O God,
   the royal son with your righteousness.
² May he judge your people in righteousness,
   your afflicted ones with justice.

 ³ May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
   the hills the fruit of righteousness.
⁴ May he defend the afflicted among the people
   and save the children of the needy;
   may he crush the oppressor.
⁵ May he endure^[a] as long as the sun,
   as long as the moon, through all generations.
⁶ May he be like rain falling on a mown field,
   like showers watering the earth.
⁷ In his days may the righteous flourish
   and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

 ⁸ May he rule from sea to sea
   and from the River^[b] to the ends of the earth.
⁹ May the desert tribes bow before him
   and his enemies lick the dust.
¹⁰ May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores
   bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba and Seba
   present him gifts.
¹¹ May all kings bow down to him
   and all nations serve him.

 ¹² For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
   the afflicted who have no one to help.
¹³ He will take pity on the weak and the needy
   and save the needy from death.
¹⁴ He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
   for precious is their blood in his sight.

 ¹⁵ Long may he live!
   May gold from Sheba be given him.
May people ever pray for him
   and bless him all day long.
¹⁶ May grain abound throughout the land;
   on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops flourish like Lebanon
   and thrive^[c] like the grass of the field.
¹⁷ May his name endure forever;
   may it continue as long as the sun.

   Then all nations will be blessed through him,^[d]
   and they will call him blessed.

 ¹⁸ Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel,
   who alone does marvelous deeds.
¹⁹ Praise be to his glorious name forever;
   may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
            Amen and Amen.

 ²⁰ This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.

Questions

1. What would show you that we have reached a watershed in the psalms?
2. How is this psalm a ‘Royal Psalm’?
3. How does this psalm foreshadow the kingship of Christ/Messiah?
4. How have the psalms  changed your life?
5. How will you praise God and worship in the future?