Sometimes when we read the Psalms, we don’t feel like we can relate to what we are reading. Other times, we can pick up the Bible, open up to the Psalms and feel like we can say with the Psalmist, “Here my prayer, Oh Lord!” In this XP, you are invited to respond to the Psalms in a very personal way.
Over the course of the next three weeks, you are going to respond to nine different Psalms, but not in a research paper, school-answer sort of way. As you read each Psalm, you are going to respond by writing a reflection about how that Psalm made you feel and whether or not you can identify with what the Psalmist is writing. As well, you have an opportunity to get creative and write your own Psalm—a creative piece to try to put yourself in the shoes of the Psalmist. You can write a poem, a song, an acrostic—any form of writing to try to capture what the Psalmist is saying and put those feelings into your own words and your own life experience. How are you frustrated? How are you celebrating? How are you crying out? If you don’t want to write a creative piece, you can just respond to the Psalms by writing a brief statement about your reaction to each Psalm. As you write, remember that others are going to read what you write as well, so be thoughtful and have fun reading other student’s writing and experiencing the community of the Psalms.